The Double, The Trouble
by AshxDawnaddicted
Summary: Dawn Berlitz, a brave and intelligent officer who has to save the Legendaries from being summoned by an evil person. But she has to go on this mission with an egoistic jerk, Ash Ketchum. And this is where an adventurous, risky yet a romantic journey begins. Pearlshipping & Oldrivalshipping.
1. Arrival of a Companion and a Mission

_**Hi guys!**_

 _ **As I promised I would publish on my birthday, 25th February and here it is. Now, I am 14 years. Yay! I published it today, so I would remember forever that I published a Pearlshipping story on my 14th birthday. I LOVE Pearlshipping and remember it forever. I only love Ash and Dawn stories. Dawn is my favorite, favorite character, I love her so much.**_

 _ **HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MYSELF!**_

 _ **Also, today is Thursday which means Ecstasy Hearts is gonna update on Webtoon! Hooray!**_

 _ **This story is a multi-chapter story.**_

 _ **NOTE: In this story, Dawn will be the female protagonist and Ash will be the male protagonist. But she will be Ash's antogonist. There will be Pokémons and there won't be much Pokémon battles. This Chapter is said in Dawn's POV and it is in a modern nation, which will be more advanced and scientific.**_

 _ **This story will be more about Dawn, not Ash. In most of the Pearlshipping stories Ash is this main character, I thought why not Dawn. So, in my story she will be the main character. Also, I like Leaf and Gary's shipping, Oldrivalshipping, so it might be there in my story.**_

 _ *****I edited this chapter which is a lot better and logical than before. I got chapter beta-read by 'SelfiesWithSprinkles', thanks to her this chapter was able to improve. You all are welcome to read this chapter again.**_

 _ **I won't do the Disclaimer.**_

 _ **Enjoy the story!**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 1_**

 ** _Arrival of a Companion and a Mission_**

" _Time to wake up!_ " * _Beep* *Beep*_ " _Time to wake up!_ " * _Beep* *Beep*_

Urgh!

I thought today I would wake up late and get a good sleep, but no, this robotic alarm clock wants to wake me up at _seven_ in the morning! I slammed the clock and switched it off. I buried my head beneath the pillow to avoid anymore disturbance. I closed my eyes, trying to get some more sleep, yep, _trying._

7:05 a.m.

7:10 a.m.

7:15 a.m.

7:20 a.m.

No use, I can't sleep, thanks to this alarm clock. I just wanna crush it with my super punch and break it into pieces. But, if it wasn't there, I am sure I would wake up at one. Once, when the clock was broken, I woke up at two.

 _Why does everything have a good and a bad side?_

I got out of the bed, wearing my Piplup fluffy slippers and looking around the room lazily. My room was of my wish, my mom made it especially for me, when we renewed our house. The ceiling was of cream colour, with a white border, walls were pale blue and the floor was of grey tiles. My bed was placed in the middle of the room, near that a small table, on top of that a lamp was kept and on the other side was a dressing table on which all my perfumes, combs, hair dryer, lipstick, eye liner and all that stuff, even I don't know what is that stuff doing there but mum told that it will look nice, I hate make-up. Where my bed ended, down was a small bed made for Piplup to sleep. My closet was situated at the opposite of the entrance door and at a distance my bathroom was located.

I looked around and saw Piplup soundly sleeping. Sometimes, I feel jealous of him. If _I_ am not asleep that means _Piplup_ should also not sleep. I made my way to his small, little, comfy bed and kneeled down. _Aw, he looks so cute._ But, jealousy got the better of me and I nudged him.

"Piplup, wake up."

His eyes fluttered open, and he got up and yawned. He rubbed his eyes. "Piplup?"

"Going for a jog, wanna tag along?" I asked him as I stood up.

"Pip pip." He nodded his head.

"I am going to take a bath, then we can go," I informed him, making my way towards the bathroom.

* * *

I was dressed in my jog suit, a white half-sleeved T-shirt with red border on the end of the sleeves and T-shirt, white shorts with a red lining at the bottom of it. I wore red and white sport shoes and and ankle socks with a red trim on it too. My blue hair was tied into a high ponytail. It's so comfortable to jog in this suit. I exited the house quietly so that my mum wouldn't wake up, along with Piplup.

As I stepped out of the house, I felt the cool breeze brush past me. I shivered and rubbed my palms. I started jogging on the side of the street on which there were many people on the whom I knew.

"Hello, Uncle Ron. How is it goin'?" I waved my hand and smiled.

"Pip pip?" Piplup also waved his hands, climbing up on my head.

He smiled back, "Great as always, dear,"

I jogged my way through many people with Piplup still resting on my blue hair.

"Where is this busy lady off to, now?" I heard a sweet voice.

"Just jogging, Aunt Helena," I replied with a higher volume, so that she could hear me.

"Piplup." Why does he have to repeat everything I say?

My jog was complete! But not without one special thing. I ran down the streets, making my way through crowds. I wanted to reach there as soon as possible. In my mind, there was only one thing. Before I knew, I was standing in front of it; _Chocolate' Belle_ , my favourite place. My mouth drooled at the thought of chocolate, ahhh. I love those a lot, they are my second life. My brain only thought of chocolates and only chocolates. My watered so much that it could make an ocean. **(1)**

As I was lost in the world of chocolate, someone bumped into me from the corner, and I closed my eyes and waited for myself to fall down on the floor. But I never made contact with it. I guess that person was sorry for his deed, because he wrapped his arms around my waist and prevented me from falling. I wondered what happened to Piplup, as I couldn't feel him on my head. I guess he jumped off. I slowly opened my eyes, only to be met with a pair of Brown eyes. It were just like chocolates. He had slightly tanned skin, spiky raven-colored hair and light zig-zag marks on his cheeks. He looked so kind, calm, helping and never want to hurt anyone type of guy.

"You aren't beautiful enough to be in my arms like this." As soon as he said this, he dropped me on the floor. I could hear Piplup's laugh, along with another Pokémon, if I was not wrong, it was a Pikachu.

 _How dare he say that?_ I fumed angrily.

He _dropped_ me on the road just like that!

Never judge a book by its cover.

Before I could reply, he walked away. I couldn't let him go that easily, at least not after he said that. I ran with full speed, along with Piplup in my arms, and came at halt just in front of him. That was when I noticed his dressing, a sky blue, folded, full-sleeved shirt, the upper _four_ buttons open, obviously trying to show his well toned chest, a Show Off, shabby black pants, and white sneakers. And that Pikachu belonged to him, no doubt he looks of the same attitude as his trainer.

"How _dare_ you say that?" I asked him in an angry tone.

"I _dare_ to say that," he just replied plainly. He sure was getting on my nerves.

" _You_ were the one who bumped into _me_ , then you said that and walked off!" I said, jumping up and down. I breathed heavily.

"It was your fault, standing on the way like that, with your mouth drooling, proves that you are an idiot." My jaw dropped.

"What?!" He turned around, and I caught his wrist as he did so. Staring at my hand, I noticed it's position and took back my hand.

"Listen, I am telling you _apologize_ to me right now!' I tried to tell him with a calm tone, but ended up yelling.

"No, I won't, _angry bird_." He smirked.

"What did you call me?"

"Nothing, angry bird."

 _Calm down, Dawn. Don't let this fool make you loose your temper._

I took a deep breath and spoke again. "C'mon, Piplup, let's get going before the _Chocolate' Belle_ closes, and we also don't have time to talk with arrogant and cocky people." I stomped off from there and towards the parlour.

* * *

On my way back to the house, I ate my dark chocolate. I got Piplup the same one, but smaller in size. Still, that raven-haired boy was there in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Piplup, I promise that the next time I see that cocky boy, I will beat the crap out of him." I clenched my fists more tightly.

"Pip Piplup pip." He narrowed his eyes.

"Shut up." Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing.

 _Find yourself in the song,_

 _Bring up the beat and the melody, melody._

 _Find yourself in the song,_

 _When we're together it's meant to be._

 _All it takes is one big dream~_

I took out my Apple iPhone 6 from my back pocket. A picture appeared of a light haired brunette, fair skin, and green eyes. I picked up the call.

"Hello."

 _"Hey, Dawn. How is it going?"_

"It's not going well at all."

 _"You seem in an angry mood."_

"I am in an angry mood. I'll tell you the reason once I meet you."

 _"Hmm, okay then. But Dawn, be careful that you don't kill anybody,_ " she joked.

"Anyways, any reason for you to call me?"

Piplup finished his chocolate bar and tried to take mine. He lunged forward to snatch my chocolate, but I moved it away from him.

 _"Actually, I got a call from the headquarters to meet Jerry, today. So, I wanted to ask if you got any call like that?"_ she asked.

"No, I don't remember receiving or any incoming call from there. Piplup, stop it!" I stuffed the chocolate bar in my mouth and stuck out my tongue.

"Piplup pip pip."

 _"Is Piplup trying to get your chocolate?"_ Leaf giggled.

"Yes."

 _"Okay, bye, then. I need to reach the HQ."_

"Bye." She hung up.

* * *

"I am back, mom!" I yelled.

"Piplup!"

"Welcome home, dear," my mom replied from the kitchen.

"Ahh, I can smell a good aroma of pancakes!" I rushed towards the kitchen.

"Pip."

"What happened to 'Mom, don't wake me up early tomorrow, I need to complete my sleep?'" Mom chuckled.

"That stupid alarm clock woke me up, I forgot to set it before sleeping," I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Piplup," Piplup said, shaking his head.

"Piplup, you didn't remind her?" she asked.

"Mom, he was already asleep when I went to sleep."

"Piplup pip pip lup," he fumed. I giggled. I loved teasing him.

"Dawn, go change your clothes, then I will serve the breakfast. Hurry up." Mom flipped a pancake.

"No mom, first pancakes, then everything else." I sat on the chair, and Piplup sat on the dining table.

"I know there is no point in arguing with you." She served me a plate of hot pancakes with cold caramel syrup flowed down. I rubbed my hands, taking a knife and a fork. Mom also sat on a chair and started to eat her breakfast.

"Mom, this is as delicious as ever," I said, with delight.

Mom also gave Piplup his bowl of poffins.

My phone rang, and I checked the Caller ID. It was Jerry.

"Hi, Jer."

 _"Hello, Dawn."_

"So, why did you call?"

 _"I need you at the HQ by eleven, there's a new mission for you,"_ he ordered.

"Okay, I will be there." He hung up at these last words.

"But just now you returned from a mission!" Mom exclaimed.

"Mom, I have one after another." I took her hands.

"That means again you will go."

I squeezed her hands. "Mom, you always said that we shouldn't cry before we go on a mission, it will cause bad luck and we do not accomplish what we want."

"Hmm. I remember."

"Yeah. There's no need to worry."

"That's when I worry the most." She laughed, I joined her. At least I could make her laugh.

"I promise, if my mission is in Sinnoh, then I will make sure that I visit you."

She smiled, "I will wait for that day,"

 _Burp._ We turned out heads and saw Piplup with his hands on his stomach. We both started laughing.

"Piplup." He blushed.

* * *

"Thanks for the food," I thanked to God.

"Dawn, go and change your clothes, it's ten-thirty already," Mom said, washing the dishes.

"'Kay, mom." I climbed up the stairs, leaving Piplup in the hall, as he wanted to watch T.V. I entered my room, finding my favourite suit that I wear whenever I go for a mission in my closet.

I soon changed into a white buttoned up shirt, first two buttons open (Who even closes them?) a black buttoned vest, black jeans, white socks and black and white sport shoes. I love these clothes a lot, they are very comfy while doing any kind of stunt. My hair was tied into a high ponytail. I put my mobile in my back jeans pocket, tied my watch on my wrist, and went downstairs.

"Mom, I am ready to go," I informed her. Piplup turned his head towards me, and started to make his way to me.

Mom came out and said, "You wore your favorite suit, I see."

"Yeah. You also used to wear this kind of dress, right?" I asked her.

"Yes, you know I felt very comfortable,"

"I also get the same feeling,"

My mother was also a police officer, just like me, she was also on a high post. In her time, she was known as the best and was very famous. I dream to be just like her. She was awarded as the most courageous and bravest person of the whole Sinnoh region.

"Mom, so this is how you impressed Dad?" She came and sat beside me on the sofa.

"No." She blushed, and smiled. She never told me how she met Dad.

"C'mon, tell me. You never told your and Dad's love story."

"After you come back from the HQ, I will tell you."

Yay! She is gonna tell me her story.

It was 10:45, and I have only fifteen minutes to reach HQ. But that didn't matter, as it is close. I will use mom's car. I got up from where I was sitting.

"Mom, I am taking your keys," I informed her, taking out the keys.

"Okay. But don't drive recklessly."

"Kay!" Sheesh, she worries a lot. I did that only two or three times, not more than that.

"Piplup," he said with his hands on his puffed chest.

"Take care of Dawn, Piplup."

"Pipi Piplup." I laughed at his ego.

I closed the door and made my way towards the car. I sat in the left side, the driver's seat. Piplup sat on the passenger seat; I buckled the belt for him and then mine. We were off to the HQ.

As my phone rings again, I can guess who the Caller can be; Leaf. If I pick up she will tell me to come fast, since the meeting will be starting soon. I thought not to pick up. But Piplup took the phone and swiped the green calling sign with his paws. Ugh! Why did I even teach him? Yeah, cuz whenever I am busy, if someone called me, Piplup would be able answer that person.

"Piplup!" He greeted her as I concentrated on my driving.

 _"Hey, Piplup! And Dawn, come fast the meeting is about to start."_

See, I told ya! Now she will tell me that I do always come on exact time, not before that.

"Piplup."

"I will each there in no time," I replied.

 _"Dawn, why do you always come on the exact time told to to you, not before that."_ Bonzai!

"I don't wanna waste my time there. And as usual he tells us one time but he starts after five to ten minutes. So, what's the use of coming early?" I casually replied.

 _"I know that, but come early."_

"Okay, Leafy." I grinned.

 _"Bye, Dawny."_ We both laughed. She hung up.

"Piplup, are you excited for our new mission?"

"Piplup." I smiled. Piplup always gets psyched to start a new journey.

* * *

I parked the in the parking lot and stepped out of it along with Piplup, locking the car. It was a huge building, with glasses, the sun's reflection makes it shine, it had, I guess, fourteen floors, and on the top _'Sinnoh Bureau of Investigation'_ was written. It was exact eleven 'o clock. Piplup climbed on my head and I went to the door, swiped my ID card in a machine, and the automatic door opened.

I went to the lift and stood there, Piplup pressed the button. I had to go to eigth floor. The lift arrived, and I stepped in and allowed Piplup to press the button with "8" written on it. Piplup, being in my company, became a lot smarter. I taught him everything. Piplup was whistling now. I took my mobile and decided to check if I have received any texts. Bingo! I received none. Otherwise, I would get many texts regarding clothes, proposals, but I have no idea from where they get my number from, such stalkers, and mom, cousins, and aunts would text me asking how I was doing. A 'ding' was heard, and I exited the lift. I took a right, went straight and left, and then an automatic door could be seen.

"Piplup what do you think our this mission might be about?" I wondered. I took out my ID card.

"Piplup."

"But I want it to be the most, reckless, difficult, complicated and an adventurous mission, right, Piplup?" I swapped my card on the machine, and the door opened.

"Piplup, Piplup!" Both of our eyes were on fire.

I entered the room, it was huge dark room, but not so dark that we cant see our faces. In the centre of the wall there was a projector, and in front of that a table with some files on it. There were some chairs on which we usually sat, and in front of that there was a table. I saw two familiar faces. One was Leaf, she was dressed in a light green buttoned shirt, blue jeans and brown boots. Her brown hair was left open, with dark green tie on her hair. This is her usual style, whenever she goes for a mission.

Second was Gary, who had brown spiky hair, dark brown eyes, and he wore a three-fourth sleeved blue buttoned shirt, so tight that his muscles and abs could be seen, blue jeans, and brown leather shoes. They both were my companions for every mission. Leaf was my best female friend and Gary was my best male friend.

Just then, a not-too-much old man appeared. He had grey hair, a grey moustache, fair skin, and black eyes. He was dressed in a black coat, black pants, a white undershirt, a black tie, and black shoes.

"Morning everyone," he said with his hands back. We all faced him.

"Jerry, what type of mission this one is?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, I was feeling so lazy to come here, I came here just to know the mission, and otherwise I wouldn't have come," Gary said.

"Tell me, Jer, is it adventurous, difficult or something like that?" I hope it is.

"Piplup?"

"Indeed, it is. And I have no idea how you became an officer of this level, Gary?" he said, putting his hands on his forehead.

"Because of my skills." He smirked.

"Anyways, this mission is a bit risky and dangerous, and that is the reason why I chose you guys." He took the remote and switched on the projector. On it appeared a picture of a Legendary Pokémon, Celebi's statue.

"There is a person who stole this statue of this Celebi, and they are some myths saying that people can summon Legendary Pokémon just by its statues. This Pokémon statue was stolen from the Jubilife Museum two days ago. There was an exhibition there, where people from many regions came to see this carved figure, and out of nowhere the electricity went. When it came back the statue was gone. So, I think that he or she wants to capture all such Legendaries' statue and summon them. We are not sure about it, but his or her goal may be to summon Legendaries. And after taking the permission from the mayor, you three are appointed to accomplish this mission, and save the world from being destroyed. Dawn, I nominate you as the leader, due to your experiences, and I hope that you will attain success," he said, maybe a bit too formal.

"Yes, sir!" I said. Telling him 'sir' is a bit a awkward.

"Geez, formality doesn't suits you, Jerry," Gary said, folding his arms.

"I know that," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"But this mission sounds interesting, right Piplup?" Leaf asked.

"Pip Piplup!" He pumped his fist.

"Anyway, I wanted to inform you that there will be another working with you all on this mission." He cleared his throat.

"What?! We three are good, we don't need an extra!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Yeah, Jer. We are fine, we don't want another person to be with us," Gary said plainly.

"Guys, I think that it will be fine if we have a new companion. I mean we will get to know about that person. C'mon guys, it will be fun!" I pleaded. I seriously think that change is better.

"Okay, fine, if you says so," Gary said.

"It will be good for me, 'cuz if that person is here with me, then at least I will have someone to talk with, as you guys are never free from your bickering. And I am sure that person will be smart, 'cuz then they wouldn't have been chosen to work with us in this important mission," I said. Seriously! Always they bicker and all I have is to talk with Piplup. Thanks to all my friends in Sinnoh region, I meet them unexpectedly.

"Sorry, Dawn." Leaf apologized.

"Okay, now that you all agreed, I know he would be glad to have such a team like you all," Jerry said.

" _He?_ You mean our companion is gonna be a boy? Oh man! I really hoped that it was a girl!" Same old Gary. Leaf pinched him, receiving an "oww."

"I would like to in introduce you all to Ash Ketchum, a high post officer of Kanto region."

Just then, a boy appeared. He was wearing black sport shoes, black jeans, a full-sleeved white shirt with folded sleeves with first four buttons open. My jaw dropped along with Piplup's. Horror was clearly written on my face. We both rubbed our eyes twice to check as to whether he is the person I think it is or is it just an illusion. But no, he had the same tanned skin, brown eyes, and spiky raven hair, and the same Pikachu from before.

He was the same boy whom I met in the morning, and he was going to be my companion?!

"We meet again, _Angry Bird_ " He smirked. Already, I hate that smirk of his from the bottom of my heart! Why was he here? I have to go on a mission with _him!_

Oh. My. Goodness.

* * *

 _ **here, finished. How is it? Actually, I had this idea since I joined Fanfiction. And I know that their mission is kinda lame but I wanted to make Dawn an officer like a boy, no matter what. At first I thought I would make Ash a villain, who changed after a break up with Dawn. But then anika123, told me that it would be better to make Ash and Dawn companions.**_

 _ **I seriously didn't plan on making it this long, I just thought it would end up being only 2,000 words or so but this ended up being of 3,800 words excluding the author's note. I used to think how other authors would make 1,000 words but to my surprise it's a lot easier for me.**_

 _ **(1) In this story, I made Dawn luv Chocolates, cuz I love them, I just can't live a single day without eating it! But only of high quality. I luv them from the bottom of my heart. I wanted Dawn to be the one I dreamed of her to be.**_

 _ **(2) I loved this dress a lot, I always hoped that in one of the stories this dress should be worn by Dawn, but silly me, how would other authors know? And also, you might know Gwen from Ben 10, and in the fourth season Alien Force she wore the same dress but the shirt was red in color.**_

 _ **And please suggest me pet names for Dawn. I will make sure that I use each of yours.**_

 _ **Please, please review, follow or favourite my story. For my previous story Endeavoring Kiss, 408 visitors viewed but only 10 reviewed! I was so disappointed! If you guys read this story, then please review it, don't just read and quit.**_

 _ **I will update this story only if it reaches more than 10 reviews otherwise I won't update. I hope I don't discontinue writing stories if people don't wanna read my stories.**_

 _ **Bye, guyz!**_


	2. Just My Luck!

**Hi Guys!**

 **This chapter will also be in Dawn's POV, if you guys want in Ash's POV too, then please do tell me, so that I can work on it!**

 **This chapter will be a lot better than the first chapter, all thanks to Bluepaw265, he Beta read this chapter and improved it. It had a lot of mistakes which needed to be corrected and he did it. He even suggested me some names for this story and I have chosen one of those. The current title was suggested by him. I express my hearty gratitude to** **Bluepaw265. Thanks for all your effort and support! : )**

 **Dawnforever101,too, suggested names for the title. Thank you for your help! : )**

 **Also, thanks to warsofshadows for suggesting me to get a Beta reader. : )**

 **I wanted to tell you all that the ringer tone of Dawn's mobile was the song ' _Find Yourself in the Song'_ which is a song from the Barbie movie _'Barbie: Rock N Royals'_ which is an awesome movie, those who love barbies should watch this movie! **

***After I update this story, I am gonna watch Conguring, the most horror movie and I am not scared of these type of movies. I guess you all might have saw that already but those who didn't watch, and are scared don't even think, cuz I heard that it's the most scariest movie, and who are not scared can watch! Oh man! I am so excited! I can't wait. : D**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter - 2**_

 _ **Just My Luck!**_

"We meet again, angry bird." The raven-haired boy smirked.

 _I seriously hated that smirk of his!_

"I have to go on this mission with him?" I asked Jerry in disbelief.

 _Was he serious?_

"Why? Is it a problem?" He looked at me weirdly.

 _Yes, it is not just a problem, it is a huge problem!_ My mind screamed wildly.

"No, it is not but-" I was interrupted by this jerk standing in front of me.

 _Why does he have to open his big mouth every single time?_

"If you have a problem with me tagging along with you, then I am ready to leave. I am not _dying_ to go on this mission with a _talkative_ and _noisy_ girl like you." He plainly replied, pointing his thumb sharply towards me. My mouth hung open, he was insulting me!

"Pika pika!" His Pikachu said and turned his head towards me, showing its cheeky grin, obviously agreeing with his master.

"You called me a talkative and a noisy girl! Then, you are an arrogant and egocentric jerk!" I retorted.

"PIP, Piplup!" These were the times where I loved my partner Pokémon!

"I admit that I _am_ an arrogant and egocentric jerk, but you are a _weird_ girl with _weird_ blue hair!" Ash scoffed.

 _He is so rude! No one talks about my cute, pretty and beautiful blue hair like this!_

"You have bad taste, cuz others seem to like my 'weird' blue hair! You cannot judge people, you have no right to do so! Also, haven't you heard this saying, don't judge a book by its cover!" I spat back.

 _I am not someone you should trifle with, you conceited jerk!_

"Look who's talking, the one who told me _I'm_ an 'arrogant' jerk!" He argued back.

 _Urgh! I hate him!_

We were continuously arguing, replying to each and every sentence. Both our supporters gave up, as we both were so engulfed in our argument that we were not allowing anyone else to speak. Jerry, Leaf and Gary were staring at me then at Ash, and vice versa. They were confused on what was happening.

"ENOUGH!" Jerry finally yelled, stopping us from arguing any further. This silenced the whole room, and we all stared at him. Even Pikachu and Piplup were silenced, but his voice was kinda scary.

"Stop arguing like small children, you are all 20 years old not-" he was interrupted by Gary.

"Jer, we boys are both 21, not 20," Leaf and I had to stifle a laugh.

 **"** Just stop it, all of you! First, it was Leaf and Gary and now you and Ash. Dawn, I thought you were a smart and responsible girl, but you _are_ a childish girl!" He said with disappointment in his voice.

"But he was the one who started it! And, I am a smart and responsible girl, believe me!" I pouted.

"Both of you are equally guilty," He glared at Ash and I before continuing. "During the mission, I expect you all to be matured, so don't get into silly arguments; it might get you in trouble. Now, all of you go get ready, as tomorrow at sharp 10 you will have to report here and leave for your mission. Understood?" He told us in a stern voice, as if he were our father, giving his children a teaching on how to be safe, kinda like when a child goes out alone.

"Understood!" All four of us replied together.

"Pikachu/Piplup!" I guess they also understood.

"Now, you're dismissed!" We all made our way out the door in a hurry, scared at what he might do if we disobeyed. I was with Leaf at the rear, while Ash and Gary were ahead of us. As usual, Piplup was on my head and Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder.

"Dawn, why are you so angry at Ash? He seems like a sweet guy." Leaf asked me.

"Him as a sweet guy? Ha, as if! He might be to you, but I hate him cuz I told you **,** about a guy I met in the morning who was a jerk to me **.** That boy was Ash." I explained all what happened in the morning, each and every detail. The moment when I mentioned about him dropping me on the ground, she started laughing.

"Ha, ha, very funny," I replied sarcastically.

"It is funny! Seriously, he dropped you on the ground just like that!" She said in between her giggles.

"Just…Just, shut up!" She became quiet.

 _I don't wanna remember that dreadful memory….._

Suddenly, a beep was heard. Leaf checked her mobile, but it was mine that made the noise. I had received a text from unknown number:

 _I love you!~ 12:19_ PM.

I have no idea who this guy is. I always get messages similar to this. Just then, Leaf peeked on the mobile and saw the text.

"Oh my god, Dawn, who is this guy?" She started squealing, which caught the boys' attention, they both turned around.

"Dawn received a text from an unknown number!" Leaf ran towards them with me trailing behind her in embarrassment.

"So?" Gary asked, clearly confused on what was special in receiving a text message from an unknown number.

"Yeah, what's so special? I receive many texts from unknown numbers like that daily." Ash said with a nonchalant shrug.

 _Urgh! He has to poke his nose everywhere!_

"The point is that it said 'I love you'. Can you imagine?" Leaf said, with an excited expression. Gary and Ash just stared at her blankly. Leaf and I sweatdropped.

"Leaf, I got used to it when I was in high school. I always got these type of texts. At first I was flustered and got freaked out, but now I don't care about it." I shrugged.

Yeah, it's true. When I was in high school I got many texts regarding this, like 'I love you', 'you are beautiful', 'I like you', and 'would you like to go on a date with me' and so on. One guy wrote it on his hand, and I kinda felt sorry for him, but I only wanted to focus on my studies at the time. Relationships are easy to distract you, but that didn't mean I couldn't set up others in a relationship. Although, Leaf and I were childhood friends, we studied in different schools, as she went to the Johto region and I was stuck in the Sinnoh region.

"You never told me about it." She narrowed her eyes, making me nervously chuckle.

"I told you, but at the time you were busy in your own relationship."

"Yeah? But I don't even remember…." She started thinking deeply. I sighed.

"Forget it, Leaf." But I couldn't help but wonder who this person might be, maybe someone I know? I shook my head _. That's impossible, no one in my life would do that._

I started to listen into Gary and Ash's conversation, and found out they were talking about their childhood.

 _Wait a sec, childhood!_

"Gary, you and Ash have known each other since childhood?" I asked him incredulously, with my mouth slightly agape.

 _But he never mentioned anything about_ _any_ _of his friends being from Kanto…._

"Yeah, Ash is…well, was my childhood friend. We studied primary school together and I remember that I had to transfer from Kanto to Sinnoh. So whenever I used to go to Kanto, I visited him." He simply shrugged.

 _If I got locked away_  
 _And we lost it all today_  
 _Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?~_  
 _If I showed you my flaws_  
 _If I couldn't be strong_  
 _Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?~_ **(1)**

I kind of heard this song on the radio and got a quick liking to it, so I decided to change my ring-tone to this. I didn't pick up the phone till one paragraph was over cuz I wanted to hear the full chorus.

"Dawn, your phone is ringing, pick it up." Leaf said, texting someone herself. I finally answered the call, swiped my finger to the green symbol. It was mum.

 _"Hello, dear!"_

"What is it mom?"

 _"Is your meeting finished?"_

"Yup!"

 _"While coming home, can you bring lettuce and tomatoes? I'm busy, so I thought you could bring them home for me."_

"Ok, fine."

 _"Thanks, sweetie! Love you!"_

"Love you, too!"

I hung up, and found that I was the only one here, not even Piplup could be seen..

 _They must have gone out to the parking lot._

I made my way over there and saw Leaf, Gary and Ash chatting and laughing. Piplup was playing with Pikachu, which was a surprise. I smiled.

 _I guess Piplup will be fine during our journey as he's got a partner to play with._

"One day, Gary came to my house for a day as he was bored, but no one was there **,** as my mum also went out for shopping. It was just me and him. We were hungry and there was nothing in the fridge, so Gary decided to cook food for us, but as you can see, he isn't a very good cook. He put the eggs in the grinder without even breaking them, and he was trying to make pancake batter in a blender, then-" Ash's mouth was covered with Gary's hand.

I didn't know Ash could talk this much, it surprised me.

"Just don't continue the rest!" Gary nervously chuckled.

"Aw, but I want to hear!" The light brunette pouted. Ash just let out a soft chuckle.

It was kind of mesmerizing to see him laugh, it sent shivers down my spine. He looked so handsome, kind-hearted and caring when he did this…This Ash is much better than that rude one.

I shook my head, continuously.

 _Woah! Dawn, don't sound like you have a crush on him, it's kinda weird! Also, remember he called you not-so-beautiful, noisy, talkative, and that your blue hair is weird!? But you have to admit, that he does look sweet….._

I smiled again. I guess he seemed to notice me staring at him, because he looked towards me. I took a sudden interest in the sky. I didn't want him to know that I was staring at him, although he did.

I inwardly sighed. _Why am I such an idiot?_

"Piplup! Come on, let's get going!" I yelled so that he could hear me.

"Ash, do you have a girlfriend? I am sure you do, because you _are_ a handsome boy." Leaf asked cheekily and somehow, this question interested me.

I listened to their conversation intently with great concentration.

"Nah, I don't have anyone. There is no girl out there who can make me have any interest in them." He replied with a smirk.

 _Isn't he little too over confident? But then, what else could I expect from him?_

"You know, you sounded just like Gary there!" Leaf exclaimed.

Piplup came along with Pikachu and I scooped Piplup up and into my arms.

"Ok guys, see you tomorrow!" I waved them goodbye and went towards my Ferrari, where I sat in the driver's seat and fastened my seatbelt. From there, Piplup sat on the passenger's seat and I fastened the belt around him. I then inserted the key and started the car, where I couldn't stop thinking about the person that had entered my life: Ash Ketchum.

* * *

Now that we were in the town, I had to go to the super market to buy those vegetables. In Twinleaf town, there are many general stores, super markets and shopping malls.

I parked my car in front of the super market, unfastened both mine and Piplup's seat belts, and got out of the car. We went into the shop, the doors opened automatically. We both entered and made our way towards the vegetable section. Piplup sat in the trolley and I chose good looking lettuce and tomatoes and put them into the basket, I went to the counter, paid the money and exited the store.

I sighed in relief as we walked over to the car. _Now I can go home and relax! W_ e entered and sat in the car. _I really wanna lie down on my fluffy bed…._

"Hey, Piplup, was Pikachu good to you?" I asked him, curious to know whether Ash's Pokémon was an egg or not.

"Piplup." He nodded.

"But when he was with Ash he was so rude, just like his trainer!"

"Piplup?" He was clearly confused.

"I guess he just didn't know us too well and acted rude?" That was the conclusion I was coming to reach.

"Piplup..."

We made it back to the house in no time, which I was glad for. When I parked my car, there was a Chevrolet parked too, but thanks to mom for buying this particular house, we were able to get this big garage that fit both cars.

I wonder who this car owner might be **.** _Whatever, I just want to go home and have a quick nap._

"I'm back, Mom!" I yelled as I entered the house.

The moment I entered, my jaw again hung open.

This is third or fourth time this has happened today and my eyes widened in disbelief. It's a good thing that I kept the vegetables over the table, as I could have dropped them in the shock of it all.

It was him again, sitting on the sofa next to mum, and having a good chat with her! What was he doing in my house?

 _Please don't tell me he's any of mum's friend's son…_

"Oh, Dawn, you're back. I was waiting for you! I told you about one of my friends, Delia! This is her son, Ash and Ash, this is my daughter, Dawn," She smiled. "And Dawn, he will be staying here tonight as he is from Kanto and I can't let him stay in any hotel."

Why are these type of things happening to me today?! I think Arceus doesn't wants me to relax **.** I just have to have him around me wherever I go, I guess we are destined to meet each other often. My bad luck! And on top of that he is gonna stay at our house tonight. Great. What a nice way to relax, having the biggest jerk in your house, one of the best thing in the world, right?

Just my luck!

* * *

 **How is it? Interesting? I know that this chapter is shorter than the first chapter, but I tried my best.**

 **Actually, I was busy studying for my 9th class exams! And my schools are gonna start from 6th April till 24th April. I will see if I will be able to update soon.**

 **(1) I was randomly searching for Ash and Dawn videos, then I saw a video with this song and got a quick liking to it. It really impressed me and then i thought why not show my love for it.**

 **For this story also, I expect to get reviews more than 10, not any less. I want everyone to read my story and comment on how I wrote, I wanna know if there are any faults in my story, so that I can improve better and be a good author. You people just _read_ the chapter, you all think of reviewing it too, I will be motivated to write faster and steadier. Also, it increases my confidence level, which is a good thing.**

 ** _Please review the chapter, don't only read! You all should motivate the author, it will help them become more confident and motivated!_**

 **Please, please and please review, favourite or follow! Gonna go and watch Conguring!**

 **Bye! See you soon!**


	3. Out of Boredom

_**Hi!**_

 _ **I am sorry for not updating earlier! And I think my other story 'Facing the Chill winds' is ready for deletion. I don't think I can cope up with it. But I will publish 'Sacrificing Love' soon, but not in this month. I'm planning to publish other stories after I 'finish' this one. And also, I had a loads of assignments which made me busy. I have to write chapter wise summary of 'The diary of Anne Frank'! And with character sketches! I just hope it finishes soon... *sigh* School work can be a lot.**_

 _ **In this chapter there won't be much pearlshipping moments. Sorry!**_

 ** _Thanks to all of those who reviewed my chapters! I appreciate it. And also thanks that you all took soke of your valuable time and reviewed. I hope you all keep reviewing it!_**

 ** _Oh, yeah! One of the guest suggested:_**

 **'Try this idea ash and dawn are handcuff to each other.'**

 _ **Thanks a million for the suggestion! I think it's a perfect idea! I will make sure to use this idea in future chaps. I can picture the situation already! Thanks a lot, your idea is very good! And talking about chapters...even I don't know how many chapters will be there. I already thought about the climax but there are many things I wanna add in this story to make it more effective. But it will be more than 15 chapters. That's for sure!**_

 _ ****** But one of them was flamer, guest named 'Your Dick', who reviews using vulgur language, which seriously pissed me off. Now, here are some things I'd like to same him/her or whatever.**_

 ** _1) Do NOT insult my or any other person's story like that._**

 ** _2) If you are not that capable of writing a story of your own then please don't go on and insult everybody else's story!_**

 ** _3) If you cant speak good then don't even speak bad. But as you are a reviewer, even if you criticized my story, I can't say anything bad to you, at least that's what the rule is. But don't think if it as your right or a claim._**

 ** _4) One last thing, did you even SEE my face to call me an UGLY b****!_**

 ** _That's all I had to say._**

 ** _Anyways, this chapter is around 4,064 words, longer than the previous chapters._**

 ** _Thanks to 'amaezing' for beta-reading my chapter. Actually, my previous beta-reader 'Lost To Me' (Bluepaw265) left because of his personal life. So, thank you very much, 'amaezing'!_**

 ** _Now, you all may start reading...!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter-3_**

 ** _Out_ _of_** **_Boredom_** ** _!_**

"Oh, Dawn, you are back. I was waiting for you, I told you about one of my friends, Delia, right? He is her son, Ash and Ash, this is my daughter, Dawn." She smiled. "And Dawn, he will be staying here tonight as he is from Kanto, I can't let him stay in any hotel!"

 _She never told me anything about her any friend..._

"Oh! So, _she_ is your daughter. Nice to meet you!" He slightly bowed, with a smirk visible on his face.

 _Urgh! He is so annoying!_

"Why are _you_ here? Didn't you get any _other_ place to stay at?" I retorted crossing my arms. Piplup went away to play along with Pikachu, very good for him.

"Dawn, it's not nice to speak like that, he is our guest. And do you know each other?" Mom glared at me.

"Indeed, yes, we do. We both are companions on our mission." Ash replied in a very gentlemanly tone, to gain respect from my mother. Very impressive.

"Mom, If you need me, I will be in my room." I said that and walked away to my room. I knew there was no point in arguing with her, she would obviously take Ash's side. I went towards the closet and got dressed into a pinkish-white tank top, with a black shrug on top of it and pink three-fourth leggings. I freed my hair and jumped on the bed. I closed my eyes and wrapped myself into the blanket.

 _It feels so comfortable and pleasant to sleep at this time of the day._

I found myself slowly drifting into sleep.

"Dawn, there's a parcel for you!"

Why? Why did I get no sleep? Was I not a human being? Frustrated, I got up from my bed and towards the exit of my room, not bothered by my appearance. I clumsily made my way through the staircase.

I saw a big parcel on the dining table. My mother was in the kitchen cooking food for our _'guest',_ who was currently watching some idiotic stuff on the 65" LED which was stuck on the wall. I unwrapped the parcel, but still a box had to be opened. I cut it with my nails, opened it completely and saw there was a big box with many _'Galaxy'_ chocolates in it.

"Yeeeeeeeee!" I squealed so loud that caused my mother to let out a shriek yet no reaction from that jerk, I guess he already knew that I was here.

"Dawn!" Mom exclaimed, with a hand over her heart.

"Sorry, Mom!" I grinned, sheepishly rubbing the back of my head. "It's just that in this parcel, there is a box full of chocolates, I guess whoever sent it knew that I am going on a mission. That's the reason that person sent it to me, so that during my journey I wouldn't need to buy it!" I joked.

"You are thinking so far. Who is this parcel from?" Mom asked and continued to wash the dishes. Ash didn't even steal a single glance here. I ruffled through the chocolates and saw a letter. It was from Aunt Carla, my mother's cousin, she got married last year and she is only 6 years older than me, I call her Carla but Mom told me to call her _aunt_ Carla.

"Mom, it's from Carla." I said, opening the letter. I read aloud.

 _Dear Dawn,_

 _I have sent you these chocolates as a gift for you, as we couldn't make it to your birthday last week and we sincerely apologize for not coming. Actually Alya was sick and we couldn't come. Accept these chocolates as a sorry and please forgive us. Your mother told me how angry you were. Knowing you, Dawn, you were very angry at me for not coming. I promise that I will make sure to visit you someday, soon._

 _PS: I knew chocolates can make you forgive everything! :p_

 _Love, Carla._

"Aw, Thank you so much, Carla!" I squealed in delight, I took out my mobile, quickly searching my contacts for her name, then I found it with her picture, she had caramel coloured eyes, fair skin and her red hair tied in a pony and she wore a black T-shirt, she was smiling. I pressed my finger on the green call symbol. But she didn't answer, she might have been busy. I would call her later! I took two bars of 'Galaxy' from the box and kept the rest of the box in the fridge.

I went and sat on the couch, with as much gap as possible between me and him. He was watching something but I couldn't tell as it was advertisement time. I offered him a bar while I began eating other one.

"Take it." I told him without even looking at him. I bit into my chocolate bar.

"You know, I wouldn't wanna take a chocolate bar from a girl with a _nest_ on her head."

 _What._

Just then, I remembered my hair! I kept the chocolate bar aside, shot my hands towards the hair on my head and wrapped it into a bun - thanks to the hair band on my wrist - though it was messy, it was fine and my bangs were on the side.

"Now, my hair is fine, so take the chocolate." I never ate in front of others without offering it to them. It's been a habit of mine since childhood. Even if it meant giving it to the biggest jerk in the universe!

"I don't like chocolates." His eyes remained glued to the screen, I just blinked and my jaw dropped on the floor. How could he not like _chocolates?_ They were the tastiest things in the world!

"What?! You don't like _chocolates?_ You gotta be kidding!" I couldn' t believe it!

"Can you please lower your volume. My ear aches with your shrilly noises! And no, I am not kidding. It's the truth. I am not childish enough anymore eat chocolates."

"I know, you're trying to tell me that _I_ am a childish, immature, and an infantile girl!" I knew his words, what he tried to imply.

"I am not _trying_ to say, I _am_ saying that."

 _What the.. I just wanna strangle him to death! I hate him, I hate him and I HATE him!_

"Fine, then I will eat these two chocolates myself. And I was just trying to have a friendly conversation with you, but you? Urgh, fine by me! Have it your way!" I puffed my cheeks and started biting my chocolate, I also started watching what he was watching, but I was bored. I don't know what interested him.

Then, I decided to text Gary. I knew he would reply if I texted him. If I texted Leaf, she would start talking about that message I received earlier. So, the better choice was Gary.

I opened the WhatsApp Messenger, I clicked _'Gary'._

Oh, he had changed his dp.

I clicked on the dp to get a better view. I laughed when I saw it.

It was his image but the thing which made me laugh was his shirt buttons were open, showing his eight packs, and his hair was spiky as always. He was also wearing reflecting sunglasses and his face was slightly tilted to the other direction with a smirk plastered on his face!

When I laughed, it caused Ash to look at me, but I acted like I didn't know he glanced at me.

I hoped Leaf didn't have her nose bleeding, and if I was not wrong, he had given his phone number to more than 10 random ladies.

I giggled thinking about Leaf, I was pretty sure that she would be so jealous. _ **(AN. I will be writing D for Dawn and G for Gary, though on WhatsApp it is not like this, but I am writing like this so that you guys will understand! And I will be doing the same for the rest of the story where ever chatting is done.)**_

 _D: Hey watcha doin'? : p √√_ **(1)**

He got online immediately.

After I sent him the message, he was typing.

 _G: Nothin' N u?√√_

 _D: Sittin' beside your 'bestie', Ash. : ( √√_

 _G: What's he doin' at ur house? √√_

 _D: He's mom's friend's son, and mom decided to perform her duty as a friend and let him stay here.√√_

 _G: Seriously? He's gonna stay at your house? Then, enjoy your night with him! ; p √√_

My mouth was wide open, What the?! He was such a pervert. How could he even think of it? I really wanted to kill him, but I can't because he was my best friend and I couldn't harm him. I continued to type.

 _D: What?! You idiot, fool and pervert!√√_

 _G: Take it easy, Dawnie! I was just kiddin'! : D √√_

 _D: Humph, this time I will let you go, but next time if you do, then my fist will meet your stomach. Understood? √√_

 _G: Aaye, Understood! √√_

 _D: Good. Anyways, your dp, it's cool, but I don't think Leaf will be okay with it. √√_

 _G: That's the reason I kept it, I want Leaf to get jealous, and I am pretty sure that she will have a nose bleed when she will see it! ; p √√_

 _D: You sure have a crush on her~ √√_

 _G: No, I don't have a 'crush' on her, I am in 'love' with her! √√_

 _D: Really? Ha, you admitted it! √√_

 _G: I thought you already knew!√√_

 _D: Yep, I figured it out, but Leaf isn't that easy, you just met her last month... √√_

Yeah, they both met last month. Leaf was in Johto region and I had completed my studies along with Gary and became officers at the age of 18 and he was 19. To be exact, I started two months before him. We _had_ decided that we would join in together, but he said that he'll be in Kanto for two months then we could join up. And I...I was bored living in Sinnoh alone, and Leaf wasn't there, so I joined in. I kept it a secret from Gary and only just told him when _he_ came to join. He was disappointed at first but after that he understood. And when I was alone, I travelled with the senior officer, Emily. She left the job because of her marriage.

Leaf was actually still a little inexperienced, and that's the reason why Jerry appointed her to work with us, at first Gary and I used to go on missions with two seniors. When Leaf joined SBI, Jerry appointed her into our group. And Leaf only experienced 2 missions with us.

 _G: Ik, but I won't confess to her this soon, it will take sometime for her to fall for my charms, then it will be my chance. √√_

 _D: Well... All the best? √√_

 _G: Nah, I don't need it. √√_

 _D: Kk, then bye, see u 2mrw! √√_

 _G: See ya! √√_

I decided to change my dp, too. I searched through my gallery to pick out my best pic and found one. It was the pic I took one month ago, when I went to Floaroma Town along with Leaf. Gary went to Kanto region to visit his 'friend', which I assume was Ash. My hair was down, with a tie decorated with different types of flowers fixed on my head. I was wearing a red one-sided sleeve T-shirt. I was winking and showing a victory sign. I thought it was the best and put it as my dp.

I noticed that next to me, Ash still stared at the screen. Seriously? Didn't he have a mobile to pass his time? I saw the screen to see what was so good about it that he couldn't take his eyes off the T.V.

"Ew, you're watching _wrestling!"_ I scrunched up my nose.

"Yes, any problem?"

"A huge one. I hate that! How _do_ you guys watch that stupid show where people are half-naked?"

"We don't look at their clothes, we look at their ability."

"Enough with that talk, give me the remote. I'll make you do something which is a lot better than this. It will fill you with interest!" My eyes sparkled with eagerness.

He nodded his head and passed the remote to me, I turned it from Television mode to Video Games mode, I brought the CD of MotoGP 15 and the joysticks, I inserted the CD in the CD player, and the game started.

I handed one joystick to Ash. And we started to play. It was not bad playing with him, he seemed to be a good rival. Playing with him was actually cool. After playing a little longer, we decided to finish it.

"You are an _awesome_ player for a _newbie._ I can't believe that out of 6 matches, you _won_ 3 matches, against _me,_ the best player. Even I wasn't as perfect as you at first!" I pouted at last sentence.

"I actually played it before, and I knew all the rules and regulations already." He nonchalantly shrugged. My eyes widened with realisation.

"That's the reason you didn't ask for any rules and instructions!" How could I be so stupid? I guess, I was so psyched up to play with him that I could care less about it.

"Geez, I don't know how you became _senior_ officer of SBI." He shook his head, with his hand on his forehead.

"No man is perfect. I was so psyched up that I lost my thinking," I defended. By the way, where were Piplup and Pikachu? I guess they were in the garden, playing. But how come Piplup didn't even once came to me and asked for food? I assumed playing with Pikachu distracted him from food. Who knew?

"But, if you are a police officer, then you need to be alert all the time, nothing should distract you."

"I know, I know. You don't have to lecture me about it, I already know that." I shrugged, I didn't want him to act like Jerry, now. "Anyways, I will be going out to find Piplup. And yes, I will bring Pikachu along with me, as it is gonna be lunch time, they will probably be hungry." I turned around on my heels - just about to leave - I felt cold fingers wrapped around my wrist.

"Ash, as I said, don't lecture me again." I said, already knowing that he was gonna stop me and lecture.

"I wanted to say, uh, thanks." He spoke in such soft voice, it sent shivers down my spine.

"For what?"

"For making me play that game, I enjoyed playing it with you today. Thanks." I chuckled.

"You know what? You shouldn't be that grateful to me. I was actually feeling bored watching you sitting plainly like that, so _I_ wanted to have fun." I closed my eyes and smiled, his grip was still maintained on my wrist.

"So you are trying to say that, you were doing it for _your_ own sake?"

I nodded my head. He laughed, which made me laugh, too.

"As if," He said, his grip loosening a bit. Then, I remembered that I had to go find Piplup and Pikachu. I moved a little forward, indicating that I wanted to go and he let my hand go. I walked towards door, without stealing a glance behind. I knew that if I did, my heart would speed up because on his face a smile will be plastered.

I walked towards the backyard and found Pikachu and Piplup, soundly asleep. It was such cute scene. Both of them had their backs on the wall and were leaning against each other. Aw! A moment to remember! I quickly took out my mobile and clicked a photo of them. I decided to take them to the bedroom, so that they could sleep there. I picked up Piplup in my arms, but what about Pikachu? I should probably call Ash, so that he could pick him up. I went in and called Ash, first he ignored me and when I called him for the second time, he sighed and came to me.

"What is it?" He asked, impatiently.

"Our Pokémon are having a nap outside in the backyard, I can take Piplup but I have only two hands and I can't take Pikachu."

"Ok, fine." He picked up Pikachu, and I told him to follow me upstairs and he followed. I went to the Pokémon room, which was a little away from my room. It had many Pokémon plushes, especially designed for Pokémon by Dawn Berlitz the great. There was a whole lot of pokeball plushes and in the middle was a king-sized bed, where we placed our Pokémons. I made my room that way, so that if my other Pokémons were with me then, they could stay here. We made our way back in the hall.

"Just in time, the lunch is ready!" She said, setting the plates on the dining table and we sat on our chairs. Ash was sitting opposite me whil mum was sitting on the chair next to us both.

"What's for lunch?" I asked, the sweet aroma reached my nose, which made me hungry.

"Lasagna," She answered, "I wanted Ash to taste it." Mom distributed the pieces and we all started to eat.

 _Oh! It's so tasty!_

"Wow, Mrs. Berlitz, it's delicious!"

"Thank you, dear." She smiled. "You both are gonna leave tomorrow, right?"

"Uh huh!" I replied and cut a piece of it with the knife and fork.

"Even though, this mission is a lot riskier than others, I expect you both to care of yourselves. Is it clear?"

"Mom, you know about our mission, but I don't remember telling you about it." I put my finger under my chin and slightly tilted my head to the side, in confusion. "Nah, I didn't tell you."

"Ash told me about it when you were upstairs to take a nap." Oh.

* * *

It was almost 9 and we had our dinner just an hour ago, Mom was busy talking with Ash's mum, and Ash went out to look around along with Pikachu. Piplup? He was here with me, I was sitting in the house library, where mom kept her all old books, which she used in her time. She also bought many books on history, Legendary Pokémon, Celebi, the ancient ruins of Sinnoh and many more.

Ever since I was young, my mother told me to read loads of books so I could gain enough (or a lot) knowledge. At first, I didn't know why, but now I knew the reason: for me to become an intelligent officer. I took one book from the shelve _'The Legends of Legendaries'_. In this book was all the information about those Pokémon. I thought this book might be useful.

I opened the book to the page where the information of Celebi was written, as this Pokémon was first targeted. I read all the info about the Pokemon, but there was nothing mentioned about the summoning Pokémon through statues. I pushed my spectacles on my nose correctly with my two fingers. Yes, I wore glasses whenever I read or used a laptop. My glasses were very slender and thin. They were red half framed spectacles, which suited me really well, in Leaf's point of view...

Though, this book didn't have the knowledge of what I am searching for, it might be a great help, I will keep this book with me on my journey. I took the book in my hands, removed my specs , I exited the library and closed the door. I told Piplup to keep this book in my room. By that time Ash also returned.

"Ash, you might be exhausted, Dawn, show him where the guest room is." She ordered me, I just signaled him to follow me. His room was across my room. I kept my specs in my room and quickly took a shower. I was now in my PJs, a light blue shirt and pants with dark blue spots on it. I remembered something. I thought of taking Piplup along with me, but he was asleep already. Gosh! How much does he sleep?!

I went down in the hall and saw mother in front of television, I went to the couch and jumped on it, beside mom.

"Mom, you are forgetting _somethin'~"_ I said in a sing-song voice, she looked at me in confusion.

"What am I forgetting, Dawn?" How could she forget it?

"You told me that you would tell me about yours and Dad's love story!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, about that." She said with realisation, about what she promised me earlier.

"Yeah, and now you are gonna have to tell me about it." I declared, no matter what, I will gain at least some information about their encounter.

"Ask about this to your father, he will tell you in a much better way." Whenever, I asked her or Dad about this, they used to say that they will let me know when I will be grown up, now that I grew up, they have to tell me. I guess, because they never wanted me to get attracted to all that romantic stuff, and wanted me to be an obedient and responsible girl.

"But mom!" I groaned. "I don't know when I will meet him!"

My Dad was out there somewhere in Sinnoh for official purposes. He was never at home. He was always out for business. Sometimes he goes to Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, Unova or even Kalos to attend business meetings and all. Our family was only complete on some occasions. Whenever _I_ was home, _he_ would be on a business trip and when _he_ was home, _I_ would be on one of these missions. Christmas was an exception since only at that period of time were we three together. However, it only lasted for 2 to 3 days. Poor Mom, she had to be alone at home!

"I know that, but I get the feeling that you will surely meet with him in this journey." She placed a hand over heart, closed her eyes and smiled. "Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet."

"Then you should have told me earlier when I was small, that time you would remember very correctly as it would be fresh in mind!" I pouted.

"When you were a kid we didn't tell you because we wanted you to be distracted from studies, get involved into romantic stuff and we wanted you to be a sincere child, your father wanted you to be an officer like me and I wanted you to become a business lady like your father. But you decided to obey your father and went into that field-"

"Mom, I told you, After marriage, I will take care of Dad's business and handle his company." I whined. _Why does she bring this topic?_

"I know that, dear, but-"

"Then, you don't have to worry, and I understand your concern. Okay, fine, I will ask Dad about it." She chuckled. "Love you, and good night, mom!" I said before kissing her on the cheek.

"Love you, too, and good night, honey!" I ran up to my room and jumped on the bed, pulled the blanket over me and turned to face the side where the family photo was kept.

The very next day, our journey was gonna begin and I was so psyched up. Many challenges were waiting ahead of us and we would have to face every single one. I was sure of one thing: in this journey there was going to be many surprises. I slowly closed my eyes, with the thoughts of the future still going on in my mind. For some reason Ash Ketchum was the last person on my mind and as I drifted to a good night's sleep...

* * *

 ** _There...phew! Over!_**

 ** _Note: Now, chapter 1 is edited and published. It is now mistake-free, which makes a lot more sense than before. If you want, you can give it a try!_**

 ** _So, tell me how was it? I know it wasn't as interesting as you thought but I couldn't come up with any ideas! Ideas which I have, are for future chaps._**

 ** _(1) You all know WhatsApp Messenger, right? I decided to use this as their texting app, I mean, they will be texting each other through this application. You might be thinking why I kept those ticks? Cuz, you might have seen, if the msg is delivered it shows two blue ticks and there is no way I can color them blue. Just to give a effect that there are using WhatsApp._**

 ** _Actually, I wrote it way before and wanted to publish in May itself but, I kinda got distracted from Fanfiction. I mean, I promised myself before that this vacation I wouldn't watch any anime but as I was searching for a pic related to my project I saw an image of an anime. My anime freakiness got the best of me and I watched it, which was 'Brynhildr in the darkness'. Then, it got me addicted to it after finishing that I saw another anime, 'Sakurasou no pet Na kanoja', which I saw while I was searching for something again related to the project. I am so sorry! This is all anime's fault, not mine..._**

 ** _One request: if you all have any OCs which can be suitable for Ash's father and Dawn's father, so please send. I have to use them in the future chapters. You can send it via PM or review._**

 ** _I have to work on the chapters, so please, send soon!_**

 ** _So, please read, review, follow and favorite!_**


	4. Commencement Of The Mission

_**Tadaa! I am back, again! : P**_

 _ **I know it's been awhile since I last updated but actually I am suffering from fever. I am lying on my bed amd posting this chapter, I have a blocked nose, headache, throat pain,body pain and high temperature.i I am actually not supposed to have a mobile phone in my hand right now, because...my mom said me to rest and went away to bring a soup for me. My mom keeps bugging me to eat food, when I have never I don't eat anything! As soon as she left the room, I quickly took the mobile from the table and started doing this work. Just because I didn't update from a long time, I have do this! Even my vision is a bit blurry due to the tiredness.**_

 _ **I got over 1,054 views! Woohoo! ; o**_

 _ **Thanks to the Beta-reader, 'SelfiesWithSprinkles'. My hearty gratitude to you. ; D**_

 ** _Thanks to all those who reviewed and favourited my stories. : )_**

 _ **Okay, now enough! You can read the story of Dawn than mine.**_

 ** _This chapter is mostly about their headquarters and an interesting scene at the ending, you all might like it. And hope this isn't boring... continue reading ...sorry...start reading._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter-4_**

 ** _Commencement Of The Mission_**

 _'Time to wake up!' *Beep!* 'Time to wake up' *Beep!*_

I opened my eyes, groaning slightly as the sunlight hit my face, causing me to put my palm in front of my eyes. I slowly got up from the bed, and lazily went to the bathroom. After brushing teeth and taking a shower, I dressed into my uniform, which I wore yesterday. I packed the bag, which I was going to carry. In that, I kept some of my spare clothes, mom's diary, the informative book which I was reading yesterday, and some other stuff that would be useful. By the time I'd finished packing my bag, Piplup had also woken up. "Morning, Piplup!"

"Piplup!"

"Let's go down and see what mum made for breakfast!" He nodded and we went down.

I saw that Ash was already awake, with his hair as messy as yesterday. He was dressed in the same uniform, but he was busy doing something on his Galaxy S7.

"Good morning, both of you!"

"Piplup!"

"Morning, sweetie!" And as expected he didn't reply. Humph, who cares.

"Mom, what is for breakfast?"

"Bacon, eggs, and toast with peanut butter!" She beamed. "Sit down on the chair and I will serve it to you in just a few minutes."

I nodded and sat down, and I saw that Piplup was sitting next to Pikachu. I glanced at Ash. I don't know what overtook me, but I found myself staring at him, with my right palm resting under my chin in a dreamy manner. His long raven locks fell over his eyes, which made him look attractive _and...handsome...I_ have no clue of how I am able to say this but, I think the the truth can't be hidden. I sighed, I wish he didn't have a character of a rude person, then, maybe...maybe we could be _friends?_ Now, I am even more curious to learn more about him. He sure is a mystery, but...I _love_ solving mysteries!

I wonder what he is doing? Because he was so involved in it and also, he was slightly grinning. God knows why?

I came back to my senses and diverted my gaze at mom. She looks so happy, yet sad. I can understand her feelings. But, as she says, _'Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.'_

"Breakfast is ready!" She served us the plates and we began eating. We ate, and mom gave our Pokémon their food.

We finished our breakfast and got ready to go.

"Dawn, Ash, both of you take care, and I hope that you all will accomplish this operation." She smiled.

I replied with a grin, "No need to worry!"

"That's when I worry the most." She and I laughed.

Ash was standing next to me on the gate and had Pikachu on his shoulders. He also had backpack.

"Thank you, Mrs. Berlitz, for all your services," He bowed his head in gratitude.

"Ash, it was not like you were any trouble or something. It was nice having you, I am looking forward to meet you again," she said with a wide smile.

"Ok, bye, then. I love you, Mom!" I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, too, Hun."

We both had our own cars. I have no idea how he even has a car here, I mean, he is from Kanto, right? Seriously, this guy _is_ a mystery to me. We both sat in our own cars and drove to the HQ.

* * *

We reached the HQ in no time. We inserted the ID cards in the machine, and then our bodies _were...scanned?_ That was new, I guess Jerry added this new system. We both went to the hall, where we usually meet. Gary and Leaf were already seated there, and we greeted them. We all started speaking about how excited we were. Just then, Jerry entered with... long white hair, tied into a pony, which was just like judges' hair. Gary and I burst out into fits of laughter, he looked hilarious!

"I _know,_ this wig doesn't suits me."

"No Jer, it's just that you look so funny." Gary had his hand on his stomach.

I added, "And entertaining!"

We high-fived, tears in our eyes. Leaf was chuckling nervously and Ash just stood there with a hint of amusement in his eyes. They both are newbies, they will obviously be scared, I think that part wouldn't be suitable for Ash, though, but they don't know Jerry well. So..it's normal.

"If your laughing is finished, then can we continue?" he questioned. He is never angry at us, even if we made a joke on him. It was like he wanted to make us laugh. That's the reason Gary and I are so open with him.

"Sorry, Jer, couldn't help it." Eventually, we stopped laughing.

"Jerry, what kind of gadgets are you gonna give us?" Leaf asked with a hint of eagerness in her voice.

"Hmm, this is a rappelling gadget - cleverly disguised as a mini backpack," he showed us mini bag, clicked a button situated on the bag and the bag automatically became larger in size. He then showed us a demo of how to use it, clicking one more button and a rope came and grasped the ceiling, he pulled the pulley back and the rope was attracted back in the mini backpack. Cool! We all looked at it with amazement. "You can attach it to this belt." **(1)**

Then he showed us the belt he was talking about. It was a light metaled belt but covered with black or brown colour. "This is a belt, which is made of light metal, it has a side where you can put all your bullets, so that you won't have any difficulty." He took the belt and opened brown cover in which many bullets were stored, along with a gun holster.

"Freeze Discs : You will be possessing a pair of them, they will be stuck on your belts with a magnet. Laser wire Cutter, becomes laser cutter when thrown together. Shuriken: Blades can swing out of the discs. Computerized disc: GPS, Scanner, BDD, SBI, Communicator tracker." **(2)**

"Multifunctional boots : but have limited autonomy. Magnetic: allows you to walk on all surfaces, wall, ceiling, window, etc, except for surfaces made of rock, soil, clay, brick, or asphalt. Hyper Jumps. Jet reactors: enable you to fly, thanks to retractable reactors located on the side of each boot." **(2)**

"Eye-Tech : it will be permanently located behind your ears, with a simple click, the eye monocle shoots out projecting a computerized holographic image which can calculate probabilities, indicate energy level of all the functions of the boots, provide nocturne, infrared, or 100 meter telescopic vision, shoot video image, shoot High precision laser beam, and serve as E-Ear: short distance micro and receiver communicator." **(2)**

"MPCOM : MP3 Communicator: Device communication that has a MP3 player/phone look but in fact has several precious spy functions : Scanner, clue analyzer." **(2)**

"These all gadgets are awesome, Jerry!" Leaf said, with sparks in her eyes. She can be childish, sometimes.

"They sure are cool, Jer!" I said with a smile. He threw each belt in our direction, and we all caught one. We also wore the boots and attached the Eye-Techs behind our ears.

"Which city is our next destination?" Ash asked with interest.

"Well, your first destination is Sandgem City. You all might be thinking about how I know about it, but I got the information that their next target is Sandgem City. There is a five-star hotel, in which a legendary Pokémon's statue, which we are unaware of, is going to be exhibited-"

Gary interrupted him. "That's gonna be a piece of cake, as we have to go in and safeguard the sculpture. Ha, that's easy!"

"It's not going to be as simple as you think. In Jubilife City, even after high security, the statue was stolen. So, you all will have to be alert. But, that five-star hotel is only for rich couples, and I have booked two rooms there. Now, you four will have to decide among yourselves who will be pairing up with whom."

My choice will be Gary, I don't wanna be paired up with _that_ guy.

"I wanna be with Ash/Gary," Leaf and I said together, which caused Gary and Ash to sweatdrop.

Gary asked, incredulously, "Hey! Don't we have a say in this."

"You know what? I don't care who I am gonna be paired up with. Just hurry up!" Ash shrugged. I expected this sentence from him, anyway.

She linked his arms with Ash's, "I wanna be with Ash!"

"But _I_ wanted to be with Leafy!" Gary exclaimed. It was no use in arguing like immature kids. I sighed.

"Guys, we will decide who we are gonna be paired up with when we reach there, 'kay?" I smartly said, they both nodded, agreeing with me.

"Very good, now, you guys can get moving," Jerry said, with his hands behind his back.

We all nodded our heads. Now, we were on our way to the Sandgem City.

* * *

It was nine at night, we decided to stay the night in the forest. We all had our sleeping bags out and Leaf was cooking our dinner. I am a very good cook, but whenever I mention me cooking, they all panic, I don't know for what. Gary and Ash were having a conversation, while Piplup and Pikachu were playing along with Umbreon, Gary's Pokémon, and Cherubi, Leaf's Pokémon, how much will they play!

"Hey, Leaf, can I cook something, too?" I went next to Leaf and asked.

"No, no, no, Dawn, I have almost cooked everything, and it will be served in a minute or two," she said, shaking her hands in front of her face. See, I told ya! They never let me cook! She continued her work, leaving me by myself.

I went and sat on a wooden log. I was totally bored! Someone talk to me! Oh yeah! How could I forget my _BFF; Chocolate_!

I took out a bar of _'Galaxy Smooth Milk_ ' from my bag, and started eating it. By the time I finished eating it, the dinner was ready. I wonder what she cooked? We all gathered in front of the fire as Leaf served the food. "Here's the Leaf special: Pasta." I don't like pasta, but I will eat it for Leaf. She gave the Pokémon their food and all were munching on it.

"You do know how to cook, _Leafy!"_ Gary said with appreciation, after finishing his food.

"Thank you, _Gear Bear,"_ she said in a teasing tone.

"My pleasure, _Tree,"_ Gary countered.

"Hey! I called you by that name only once, but you teased me by two names two times. No fair!" Leaf pouted. She started walking away. This is my chance to help Gary, I slowly moved my leg forward, which caused Leaf to trip by my foot. She yelped and landed straight on Gary, pushing him along with her on the ground. I winked at Gary and he showed a thumbs up. I whistled, as if I didn't care. _"Enjoying_ it here?" Gary asked with a smirk, their faces were inches away, and their noses were touching. What a perfect timing to kiss! But I am sure Gary wouldn't do that because he knows she will be upset with him, and he wouldn't want that to happen.

Leaf blushed, "I, uh, am," she stammered.

"No worries, you can stay like this till you feel like getting up," he whispered in her ear, making her more red. I glanced at Ash and saw that he was also staring at the duo, amused. At least, he was enjoying. They both were staring into each other's eyes. So romantic!

"Are you planning to sleep like this? Even if you are, I don't mind," he said with husky voice. Leaf came back to her senses and sprang up off him.

She pointed at him, "You pervert!"

"What? You were the one who fell on me! Ain't I right, both of you?" Gary crossed his arm. Ash nodded his head, agreeing on the point.

"Yes, Leaf, it's your fault, you can't blame him," I said to Leaf, whose mouth was hanging open with shock.

"Dawn, you are in his favour again!" she whined.

"No, I am not. I am in favour of the truth, not Gary."

"Okay, fine by me. Ash, you tell the truth, at least!" Leaf pleaded to Ash.

He replied, "It's neither your fault nor Gary's, it was all Sapphire's fault." _Sapphire?_ Who's Sapphire? It was my fault, not Sapphire's...

I yelled, "You are such a party pooper! And don't you know my name is Dawn? D-A-W-N!" I crossed my arms, and turned the opposite direction.

"How many times do I have to tell you? That do not shout like that, my ear aches." He touched his ear.

"So, it was Dawn's fault, huh?" Leaf was behind to tackle me, but my instincts are very experienced, I dodged it and ran. "Come back, here!" she yelled.

I ran and stood behind Ash, "She is also yelling, tell her the same!" I complained him.

"Her voice is not as shrilly as yours."

My jaw dropped on the ground, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"If you _understood_ the meaning, good, and if _not_ then, very good." He is such a mean guy!

I gritted my teeth, "Gary, tell him to keep his big mouth shut, or else, I don't know what I might do."

Gary wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Bud, listen to her otherwise, she will seriously do something to you. When she is angry, she becomes a she-devil!" He laughed, high-fiving Ash. I breathed heavily and cracked a knuckle. "What _did_ you say?" I asked in a devilish yet scary tone. I towered over him and he turned around with a horrified expression.

"Umm, it, was, uh, nothing," he nervously chuckled and ran away. I rushed behind him.

Leaf now stopped chasing me and sat next to Ash, I could hear, they were having a talk. "So, what do you think of our team?" she asked with a smile.

"I guess, I _might_ enjoy being with you guys." They both chuckled.

After some Tom and Jerry, we both gave up, but I still took my revenge by hitting on Gary's head with my hand. We all decided it was time to sleep, and went into our sleeping bags. I had Piplup by my side, and Pikachu also slept beside Ash.

"Good night, everyone!" Leaf wished.

"Night!" we replied in unison.

* * *

We all reached to Sandgem Town in no time. It was hustling, bustling city. People were all around, couples walking hand in hand, children playing with each other, and individuals strolling. I saw a plushie of Buneary...

Our Pokémon!

They are with Professor Rowan, in the lab. Thank goodness that we are on Sandgem Town, as this is where professor's lab is. Leaf was looking around with excitement in her eyes, Gary and Ash were again having a chat, how much do they talk! Piplup was on my hair and Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder.

"Guys, we don't have our Pokémon with us."

"Oh, shit! I completely forgot about it!" Gary exclaimed.

"Our Pokémon are with the professor!" Leaf said, before continuing, "And we are in Sandgem Town, we can go to the lab and choose our Pokémon."

"I don't think it's a good idea to go to the lab and choose our Pokémon, because if we do, then all of them would want to come with us," I pointed out.

"You are right," Gary agreed and Leaf nodded. "We should go in the Pokémon Centre and ask him about them."

We entered the Pokémon Centre and asked the Nurse Joy, where the Pokémon transferring machine was. We went to the machine and stood next to it. Gary took out his Galaxy S7 Edge and made the phone call to the professor. We told him that we wanted our Pokémon, and he sent us them through the machine. As soon as Buneary's Poké Ball came, she jumped out of it and hugged me, behind me, she saw someone and started blushing. I turned around to see why she was blushing and saw Ash with a bored look on his face and Pikachu on his shoulder, who was waving to Buneary. The next thing I knew, she jumped out of my arms and ran towards Pikachu. He also jumped down to greet Buneary.

"Buneary, wait!"

She went towards him and touched his hand, which made her more shy, causing her to hide her face in her fur. Pikachu sweatdropped. I saw Ash staring at them and chuckled. Dawn, calm down! He is just an average boy who always insults you. He knelt down and pet her head, "Hello there, little girl!"

"Bun, bun!" She waved him.

He questioned, "Why are you so red?"

"It's just a crush," I plainly replied.

"On whom?"

"On Pikachu." He chuckled, not again!

"Pikachu sure is a ladies' man!"

"Pika pika." He laughed nervously. In the meantime, Gary came with four Poké Balls in his arms, which were obviously mine. I thanked him.

"Now, we have to stay in that hotel," Ash said.

"And we have to decide who we are gonna be paired up with!" That was still left...

"I will write our, girls' name on slip of papers and any one of you have to choose one slip, 'Kay?" They nodded and I wrote the names in the slips. And gave it to Leaf, so I that she could shake and give it. "Now, any one."

"Ash will choose," Gary said, giving a light push to Ash. He came and took a slip.

 _Please Leaf's name should come, please Leaf's name should come, please-_

He opened the slip and showed us, my eyes were wide and face was all white from horror. I could feel myself falling into a black hole. Nooooooooo!

There it was written: _Dawn._

Gary and Ash were smirking and Leaf's expression was similar to mine.

Why does this happens every time? Now I have to share a room with Ash for three nights! Great. I will die out of boredom, as he doesn't talks or even if he does, I will have to hear the horrible names of mine. Also, I will have to stop blushing around him and stop having butterflies in my stomach! Awesome, right?

* * *

 _ **-GAME OVER-**_

 _ **So... now Dawn has to share a room with Ash and Leaf with Gary! That too, a room for only and only couples..you can imagine! Next two chapters are going to be awesome! It has one or two pearlshipping moments! YAY! I can't wait to publish that...!**_

 ** _(1) That gadget is from the Barbie movie 'The spy squad'...I liked it so I used it._**

 ** _(2) These all gadgets are from 'The Amazing Spiez", you might have understood before itself if you have watched it. They use very high technological gadgets. Hey_** ** _, C'mon, I am not a genius to invent my own gadgets! ; D_**

 _ **I am 101℅ sure that you will love the next two chapters more than this.**_

 ** _My first semester exams are starting from maybe, 19th of September to 29th. Till that I don't I'll be able to update, but I guarantee that I will update as soon as I get holiday after it. I am so excited for that chapter to be read by you all!_**

 ** _Shit! I can see mom making her way to my room! At least she came after I have finished writing! =/_**

 ** _Continue reading if you want to know what happens next! : )_**

 ** _Please, read, review, favourite and follow!_**

 ** _Until then, peace out! See you next time soon!_** **...**


	5. Fake Names and Towel Trouble

_**Hola, people! ; )**_

 _ **I am back with a new chapter! This is my earliest update! I am so glad, this chapter contains..um...4,968 words without the author's note. Probably, the longest chapter since the start!**_

 _ **Thank you, guys so much, to whoever reviewed! I am so thankful to you all! You know, this story got 1,000+ views and 50+ reviews! *squeals like a small kid* I am so glad! Love you, all!**_

 _ ******And one warning to that guy, whoever it is. The person who I am referring to will understand and other people ignore it.**_

 _ **Listen, it's none of your business of whatever I write or plot, it's my knowledge and I use it. You don't have to tell me what ls right and what is wrong! It's my story and I will do whatever I wish to. And dude, stop using that unparliamentary language! You are just a reviewer, doesn't mean you can pen down whatever you like. I am not a cry baby or a scaredy cat to just back off! Just shut the hell up! You have no right to discourage, you only can criticize. And stop speaking about me or my family! If you review again, then review with a logged in ID, if you have the courage! Get it into your thick mind, you asshole!**_

 _ **Sorry guys, whoever were reading this story! You can read the story! And I am sorry for using this vulgar language but...that person said something so...what can I say...mean and nasty, unpleasant things which really got on my nerves...I am sorry you all had to read that! But what can I do? That person insulted me by calling me something very unpleasant! And I can't tolerate that! And that person reviews as a guest, that's the reason I have write this in Author's Note, or else he/she might be encouraged...! Again, I apologize. : (**_

 _ **Now, that's over. You can continue reading the Story! Enjoy! ; D**_

 _ **I am sure the title may seem weird but I am really bad at naming!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter-5**_

 _ **Fake Names and Towel Trouble**_

Why _does_ this happens every time? Now, I have to share a room with Ash for three nights! Great. Just Great. I will die out of Boredom, as he doesn't talks or even if he does, I will have to hear the horrible ' _nicknames'_ of mine. Also, I will have to stop blushing around him or stop having butterflies in my stomach! Damn it!

"Why are you so flustered? It's not like I am gonna try something on you." This guy was getting on my nerves! What does he think of himself? A hero?

I cleared my throat, "Well, for your kind information, it's nothing like that, you don't have to jump on conclusions like _these,_ this soon." I cross my arms.

"Forget it, let's go in the Hotel and start our investigation. We don't have time to waste on these stupid issues," He started walking away, with Leaf and Gary following him. I shrugged and followed them.

* * *

Finally, we reached the Hotel, though we were lost somewhere but we managed to reach here. I know, I know, I have been leaving in Sinnoh and have had many missions in this region, but what do you expect from an extremely busy lady? And even for that Ash had to give some sarcastic remarks and taunts. We were still outside.

I suggested, "Guys, I think we should sign in with fake names."

Ash questioned, "Why?"

"We are quite _famous_ here, you know?" I retorted.

"Oh, yeah. Remember the last time we went to the beach and Gary introduced himself as the 'Gary Oak', public went crazy and we couldn't enjoy, just because his _foolishness,"_ Leaf narrowed her eyes at Gary.

Gary shrugged, "What? I didn't gave it a thought about the names."

Ash petted Pikachu, "So, do you think we should change our dress styles?"

I nodded, "Obviously."

Leaf's eyes sparkled, "It means shopping?" We three nodded. She continued, "Then, what are you all waiting for? Let's go!" She dragged all us to a nearby shopping mall. You see, I am not much into shopping...but I don't hate it either. I like it but unlike Leaf, I am not a shopaholic...

* * *

Now, we were all in different attires.

"I look so weird!" Gary complained, he was dressed in a blue Tee with a shark drawn on it, brown jeans and grey sneakers. He wore green colored lenses and his hair was dyed with temporary streaks of golden.

Ash stood next to Gary who was also dressed, in a white shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. He had put on black eye lenses and his hair was dyed with only one white streak. He refused anymore, even Leaf got scared of him and let him do whatever he wished to do.

Leaf was so happy with her dressing. She wore a blue sundress with a black belt below her bust, she wore blue sandals and had blue lenses. Her hair was styled in a bun and dyed with blue streaks.

I was in a pink thin strapped dress which was till my mid thighs, with a purple short shrug on it, purple leggings and pink wedges. I had my eyes lenses as brown and my hair was tied in side low pony, with streaks of pink on two strands. I hate my hair being coloured! I am _101_ percent sure that brown eyes doesn't suit me. I can't wait till I get rid of my get-up! "Hey, Piplup, do you think this makeover suits me?" I asked him with a fed up look. He was situated in my arms.

He looked me carefully with his eyes squinted, "Piplup...piplup," he sweatdropped. I hung my head in despair, I sighed. "Piplup, piplup," he patted me. I guess, I just have to deal with it.

"Aw, you all look so cute and charming!" Leaf gushed. I can't believe, she thinks we look good...

Gary smirked, "I knew you would admit that I am charming."

She narrowed her eyes, "I said 'everyone'?"

Ash, irritatingly, said, "Can we go already?"

"Wait!" I stopped them.

He turned around and sighed with frustration, "What now, Sapphire?"

"We still have to decide our names!"

"...Oh, yeah, that's still left..." he muttered.

Leaf jumped in, "I'll keep...uh...Lacy Smith!"

Gary grinned, "It's a beautiful name, Lacy, I will choose...Gray Smith." Yeah...we are husband-wife, so we must have same surnames.

"I think..um...Daphne...Rose, yeah, Daphne Evans would be perfect!" I snapped my fingers.

Ash shrugged, "Just choose one for me. I don't wanna waste my thinking ability over it."

I gave it a thought and beamed, "Aiden Evans will be perfect!" I smiled.

"Why do _you_ think it is suitable?" Leaf wondered.

"It means fire or a fiery one!" I winked and Ash turned around. I could see a small smile on his face. I think he is happy with his name. But...he shouldn't have hid it, he could _directly_ thank me...I guess, everyone has their own ways!

* * *

We went to the receptionist and said, "Bookings under Jerry."

She replied, "Oh yes, there are two rooms booked by that person. Please, write your names and sign below." She handed us a paper. I turned back to the group and informed them what we had to do. We did as we were told we wrote our fake names and did fake signatures. She handed us our room card keys. We were in the elevator, which was taking us to the 8th floor where our rooms were situated.

I was so nervous to share a room with Ash! I decided that I should do something...I began to apply my _intelligent_ brain and started sorting out ideas from it. Yeah! Got one...!

I started, "Listen, we will just show them that we are real couples and enter the room, then at night I can go in the room which is shared by Gary and Leaf-"

"It gives a good ring!" Gary interrupted, which earned him an elbow in his stomach. "Ouch!"

"Continue," Leaf said.

I was gonna continue but Ash interrupted, "No, it's not possible, I know that you are implying that at night you will go and sleep with Leaf in her room and Gary will come and sleep in my room, right?" I nodded. I must say, he's got a pretty sharp mind... "There is not even 1% chances of that plan being successful, because their room is situated ten numbers away from our room, also you will be caught sneaking into the room by cameras." I have excaped from cameras many a times, I am an highly experienced person in doing that.

"Yeah, I heard that in this hotel there are five-six CCTV cameras on each floor, it has a very high security system, if a person tries to block the camera with any sort of balloon or cloth, the alert alarm will be activated and all the doors and windows will be closed with a very strong material, which no one can open," Leaf informed us and Ash nodded.

"She is right, the security here will be more higher than before, because of the tomorrow's exhibition. So, I don't think it is possible," He put a finger under his chin. I won't admit this, but when he is thinking he looks so kinda smart. I am just saying not praising him!

"Woah, you both are such nerds," Gary rolled his eyes, with a boring look. Leaf narrowed her eyes at him.

 _'Ding'_

As soon as we stepped out of it, we could smell the beautiful aroma of Roses and Lavenders. There were flowers decorated on the corner of the walls, below many flowers vases were hung and on the floor there was some grass loooking material but it wasn't. The walls had a texture of white and red bubbles, which was suitable for couples. I was impressed. Piplup was awe-struck... I saw Leaf's eyes sparkling, Gary also looked impressed and Ash's hands were jabbed into his pockets, and Pikachu awed at the scenario before him. Our room numbers were 513 and 525. Leaf and Gary went in their room 513, I really will need to ask Leaf about it. I mischievously thought. Ash had the room card key and he was opening it.

I kind of feel nervous yet comfortable, I don't know what's happening with me! He _looked_ so calm and peaceful when he doesn't speak but... all his one minute image scattered in just one second. I thought bitterly.

"Don't you wanna come, Sapphire?" Does he get the signal or what? That I am thinking something good about him?

"Coming," I entered the room and saw the room was so...astonishing. The walls were printed with light colored red and white hearts, which gave the room a very beautiful outlining, a big heart mirror was stuck on the right wall, which had a highly decorated dressing table with many heart patterns on it. A large white heart shaped soft, fluffy carpet was lying on the floor, on which Piplup was rolling with enjoyment, I looked on the left and saw a door, which is a bathroom, and on the middle wall there was a big photo frmas in which a picture was stuck of a girl and boy kissing, their faces are not seen because they were black colored. The thing below it made me blush, changing my face color into ten shades of red, an elegantly designed King-sized bed with white corners and a white and red heart shaped bedsheet and two pillows. It had curtains hung beside which where red as the border was white flowers. I shook my head and got rid of the blush. And beside it was a door, which led to a balcony.

Ash had a shocked expression, "Woah, there are many hearts in this room. Geez, it looks like we really _are_ a couple!" I _again_ blushed, I hate this feeling! Nonetheless, I nodded. It would be rude if I dont reply him.

"It is especially designed for couples, it seems, but nonetheless this room is amazing and beautiful!"

I kept my bag on the dressing table, and took out my clothes, towel and shampoo, soap, face wash, body lotion, etc. First I will take a bathe, get fresh and roam in the premises. I glanced at Ash who was currently standing in the balcony, along with Pikachu, enjoying the fresh air blowing past through him.

He _looks_ like a calm and cool guy, but when he opens his mouth, he is _nothing_ like that!

"I am gonna take a shower, so don't go anywhere," I informed, removing the band from my hair, letting it lose and getting rid of the lenses.

"Why? Is the little Sapphire scared?" He said in a teasing voice.

"It's nothing like that!" I yelled.

"Even if I want to go out alone, I can't," He crossed his arms.

"Now, don't tell me that _even_ for a walk, we have to walk _together?!"_ I whined.

"Actually, no. We can walk alone if we want to but, as we are new here and don't exactly seem like a couple, we have to show the people around that we _are_ really a married couple. We don't want anyone to suspect us," He shrugged. I sighed in relief.

"Okay, then, I'll not waste my time by staying here,"

I entered the bathroom and saw it was so clean, it had white wall with red flower prints, and the bathtub was in cream colour.

* * *

I had completed taking my warm bath but...I couldn't find any towel here. I was completely soaked in water, and my hair was dripping drops! Maybe, they are in the room? I leaned on the door and cupped my mouth, "Ash!"

"Yeah?" I got a reply, but from the way he replied, I _can_ imagine his position. Leaning against the wall and arms crossed.

"Are there any towels outside?" I enquired.

After some shuffling and voices, I heard his usual bored tone, "No. I don't find any here! Aren't there towels in the bathroom?"

I frowned, "Then, why do you think I am asking you whether there are any towels or not? Of course, they are not here!" I was irritated.

"Well, there aren't any here, too." I heard him reply in his casual voice.

"Urgh! Then, dial the room service and ask them to send some towels to our room!" I hissed.I thought he was _clever_ enough to do this!

"Don't raise your voice. If you have such a huge attitude, then why don't _you_ come out and give a call to them? Why the hell should I do _your_ work?" I could imagine him rolling his eyes while saying that.

I sighed, "Ok, I apologize! I am feeling cold and you are just asking questions! And do you expect me to come out, _undressed, naked_? If I could, then I surely would have done that!" I slapped my palm over my mouth, eyes widened and blushed as I realized what I had said just now.

"Uh..." Probably at loss of words...of course, what can he possibly reply to what I had said! Even I wouldn't be able to, if someone else said something like that!

Even he might've been blushing..shit! Me and my big mouth! Geez! It's so embarrassing! I heard some footsteps shuffle and then some muffled voices. Just then I heard a knock on the bathroom door. I opened the door slightly and stuck my hand out.

Ash handed me the towel and cleared his throat. I understood that he might have still been embarrassed by my choice of words and I also cleared my throat, "Thank you for the help."

I heard him mutter, "Welcome." I sighed.

I quickly dried myself with it and got out of the bathroom in a pair of light blue jeans and grey full sleeved T-shirt with a grey frilly scarf wrapped around my neck. My hair was let loose as it was still wet, I sat down on the bed and wore my boots. In case of an emergency! I looked around and found Ash nowhere, nor Piplup or Pikachu. I sighed, he never listens to me. I went in the balcony and leaned on the railing, enjoying the scenario of rushing cars, people with their Pokémons and many more things. I closed my eyes and breathes in the air.

"Boo!"

I let out a shriek and then spun around to find my so-called loyal starter and the little mouse laughing and Ash trying not laugh, but his face was inches away from mine, my face turned a bit crimson. I cleated my throat, "You guys think it was funny, huh?" They all nodded. "But you are so very wrong!" I ran behind them to catch a hold of them but failed miserably, they all are fast. It continued for a little longer and then I laid down in the bed in defeat, catching my breath. "You guys win, but next time I am gonna make sure you loose!"

Ash was seated on the bean bag located at the left of the bed. Both the Pokémons were tired and were lying on the bed next to me. "Ash, the bathroom's free, if you wanna take a shower you can." I informed him, he nodded. "And yeah, the towels are available there!" I joked.

He smiled and chuckled a but. He gathered his clothes and went in the bathroom.

I took out my Apple IPhone 6 and texted Jerry that we reached the hotel and everything seems fine. I then decided to ask Leaf about their situation. But to use WhatsApp I will need Wi-Fi, it's a good thing that I know how to hack passwords. I saw her status as 'Busy' and her dp, she looked cute, she was wearing a mint green high collored T-shirt and her hair was tied into a side pony, she had genuine smile on her face.

 _D: Hey! How's it goin'? √√_

 _L: Hi! Don't ask about it. And did you see Gary's dp? It's totally lame! He_ _has given his phone number to like more than 10 random girls, they will completely think he is a pervert! √√_

 _D: So, Leafy's jealous, huh? And I am sure you got a nose bleed when you saw it~ √√_

 _L: What?! Of course not, for both the things! √√_

 _D: Admit it, also those girls won't think he is a pervert, they will think he is a hot guy! √√_

 _L: C'mon, Dawny! Stop it already! √√_

 _D: Na! I won't, I will tell Gary about it! √√_

 _L: Tell him, why should I be scared when I am not jealous. Humph. √√_

 _D: Ok, ok, take a chill pill, Leafy! I was just messin' up with ya, anyways what are you both doin'? √√_

 _L: I took a shower and now Gary's in. You? √√_

 _D: Same here. √√_

 _L: K, bye, I need to tie my hair! √√_

 _D: Fine then, bye! √√_

As soon as my hair dried, I tied it into a bun, in my opinion my hair looks like a nest, and even Ash said it. For that reason I always tie my hair, which is a lot comfortable. I gave both of the Pokémon some poffins as they might have been hungry. I put the lenses back as I had to remove it before I take a bath. The beautician said the that the streaks would come out in two-three days.

I heard the door open, turned around to tell him that we need to hurry, the moment I turned around my face turned crimson, he was standing there in nothing but a towel around his waist and another towel wrapped round his neck. He had perfect torso, well built muscles and worked out abs! I wanna touch them...I quickly shook my head.

 _What the hell are you thinking, Dawn Berlitz?! You dirty minded girl!_

"Idiot!" I covered my eyes and turned around. "Do you not know that a girl is also there in the room?! You can't come out of the bathroom only in a towel!" I yelled.

"Then, why were you 'goggling' over it? I feel a lot comfortable wearing my clothes after my body is dry," He shrugged.

"I _wasn't_ goggling over your body! Feel comfortableness in your home, not in some hotel rooms, especially when a girl is also in the same room!"

"No, I will do whatever I wish." He is the biggest idiot! Why doesn't he agree with me at once?

"Ok, fine, but if you can do what you wish, then I will also follow the same policy." I smirked. "Just wait and watch,"

"Whatever,"

He was now dressed in a black T-shirt with a white collor and a few buttons at the top, near that a greyish circle was drawn, blue pants and a white and black sneakers. I then noticed something, "Hey, you didn't pur on your lenses!"

He made a face of realization and placed it in his eyes. I was staring at him with my eyes squinted.

"What? Why are you staring at my face? Is there something on it?" He casually asked. I shook my head and waved it.

We got out of the room and closed the door. I held Piplup in my arms and Pikachu was on his usual place. It has been a while since I ate chocolate, I took out three bars of 'Flutes' and handed one to Piplup, Pikachu and one for myself, this time I didn't give Ash as he 'doesn't like chocolates'.

"Geez, how many _times_ do you chocolate?" Ash asked.

"Hundred times a day, any problem?" I replied. Why does he care anyway, it's not like I am gaining weight eating just 3-4 chocolates a day. We entered the elevator and pressed the 'G' button, I leaned on the wall, still biting the sweet thing.

"Hey,... we are in the elevator, yeah, yeah... you guys are in the food court?.. oh, ok.. then we will meet you both there," Ash was talking to someone, I guess Gary.

"It was from Gary, we are supposed to meet them both in the food court," I nodded.

I looked down and saw Piplup's beak was covered with chocolate. I laughed, "Piplup, you have your beak covered with chocolate!" I took out a tissue paper from left pocket, I kept it for times like these. I bent down and started wiping his beak, "You should learn something from Pikachu, look his mouth is... covered with chocolate too?!" I laughed.

I saw Ash smiling and Pikachu giving a sheepish grin, "Pika pika!" After I cleaned Piplup's mouth, I stood up and wiped Pikachu's, till that time Piplup made his way up on my hair.

"There...done! You guys should learn how to eat a chocolate," I kept my hands on my hip.

"You are the one to talk," I had a confused expression on my face. He took the tissue paper from my hand and leaned closer, what was he thinking?! I stepped a little back, he brought his thumb which was lightly wrapped in tissue, up to my face and rubbed it gently on my nose. I blinked. He showed the tissue to me with a bit of chocolate on it.

"You had some chocolate on your nose."

I chuckled nervously. Really, I _was_ the one to talk.

 _'Ding'_

"Look, we reached the ground floor," We saw the map of the hotel on a thick pillar, we checked where the Food Court was and I had difficulty finding the place but..Ash, he was pretty fast. He led me to the court. We saw Gary and Leaf sitting on table no.10 which was near the huge window. We made our towards the table. "Sup, guys!" Gary waved.

"Hey both of you!" I greeted, as I sat down on the chair next to Leaf, who was on my right and Piplup on my left.

I asked, "What are we gonna eat?" We all picked the menu and checked what to eat. "Check this out, guys, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cheese Puffs, Chocolate Cream Pie and... look my favorite Double Chocolate-Expresso Truffle Pie..." My mouth started watering and my brain was admiring all the chocolate desserts. Ahh, they are so yummy, tasty and delicious. I sighed, dreamily, chocolates were revolving my world. I was so lost in my world that I couldn't hear anyone, but Leaf's pinch brought me back to the real world. "Ouch!" I rubbed my right hand.

"Dawn, right now we should eat something spicy, not sweet."

"But I wanna eat chocolate..." I whined.

"You can save it for desert, which we'll be eating after our dinner, 'Kay?"

"Okay!"

We all called for the waiter, he had orange hair, with yellow streaks which were cleaning combed, light blue eyes and was very fair. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a cloth on his right arm. "Today, I, Darren, will be your waiter for today. May I take the orders, please?" He slightly bowed and took out his pen and notepad.

"Don't you think he is kinda cute?" Leaf whispered with her hands clasped together in admiration.

I laughed, "Ha, he and cute? No way, he looks like a man with fire on his head!" I high fives with Piplup.

"Dear Dawn, you have no taste in boys," She said dramatically.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked in a mocking tone.

"Obviously, that's the reason you can't see the handsomeness of this guy,"

"Hm I, seriously think that he is not at all handsome, but a player," I commented, looking at him from from the corner of my eyes.

"Listen, now I will start a conversation with him and you just watch and learn, understood?" I nodded. Ash ordered first, who was sitting opposite of me and Gary next to him. "I would like to have a Tofu Stew."

"Make it two!" Gary ordered. The waiter nodded and wrote down their orders.

"Hmm, your name's Darren, right?" Leaf asked. He lifted his head from his notepad and looked at her as she was the one who spoke. Her question caused Gary to raise an eyebrow and Ash to stare at her as to why was she so interested in the waiter.

"Yes?"

"You know I like people whose name starts with the letter 'D'. Look at this girl, she is my BFF, Daw-Daphne, her name also starts with 'D'. I don't know why but I find them very philanthropic and kind-hearted." She winked at him and stood up, that's when I noticed her outfit, a dark blue halter neck top with black colored heart at the center, black parallel pants and the same boots which I wore. Her hair was covered with a cream colored hat with a red ribbon tied on it.

 _Lame. Totally lame. Seriously? People's name with the letter 'D' are philanthropic and kind-hearted? She could come up with a much better excuse than this..._

I slapped my forehead and pulled Leaf down, "Leaf, don't you think it's called flirting not a conversation," I whispered in her ear.

"Hey, Dawn you are a newbie, so shush," She whispered and pulled back.

I turned my attention to the waiter, I was surprised to see that he was smirking! I guess he understood that Leaf was flirting with him. "Oh! Never knew about it. And you see, your efforts are not gonna work as I am already taken." He flipped his hair and bent down a little to be equal with Leaf's height, as he was a little taller than her. "But, if you want, I can flirt with you, you know flirting with the same girl is boring sometimes," His words really ticked my nerve.

"If you are taken, she doesn't care! Seeing your face only, I understood that you were a player. Those girls are fools to date a _cheat_ like you." I made sure that I wasn't yelling loud, otherwise a scene would be created. "And _why_ do you think she would flirt with _you?_ She did that just to make her _husband,_ here, jealous. She has _such_ a handsome husband already, then why would she like you?" I crossed my arms. I glanced at both of the boys, they were both amused but jealousy could be seen in Gary's eyes.

"Do you have a husband? I wouldn't mind flirting with you, you know?" His words caused my head to shot up in his direction. Is he mental? Doesn't he understand English? Or what I said?

"Did you join _new_ here?"

"No, why?"

"Then you should know the rules."

"What rules?"

"In this Hotel, only married couples are allowed, right?"

"..."

"Umm, I would like to have a Vegetarian Tortilla Soup," I smiled proudly at my victory. "Leaf, do you wanna order the same?" She nodded. "Then, two bowl of Vegetarian Tortilla Soup, please?" He quickly noted down the orders and went away with a scowl on his face. We both Sat down on our seats. "Leaf, this is all your fault, if you-"

"I know, I know. I did that just for little fun because boys here don't know the meaning of 'entertainment'," She said taunting the two boys and crossed her arms.

"Are we _jokers_ or what, that we have to 'entertain' you?" Gary asked, a bit rude and air quoted the word 'entertain'. I perfectly knew the reason. Jealousy. Urgh! Why do people get jealous when they _perfectly_ know that nothing is gonna happen? I mean, everyone knows that when he/she is flirting with a a boy/girl doesn't mean they will be taken! I seriously don't understand the logic...oof! Love is so complicated!

"Guys, do you have any idea which Pokémon statue is gonna be exhibited?" I asked them, as far as I remember Jerry never told us.

Piplup tugged my shirt, I ignored him. He pulled this time with a little more force. "Piplup, an important discussion is going on," I whispered to him and he sat with his cheeks puffed.

"Nope." Leaf answered.

"I checked in the pamphlets also but nowhere the name of the Pokémon was mentioned." Gary mentioned. I could see Pikachu also doing the same with Ash. I wonder what both of them want?

"I think they wanted to keep this a surprise?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, I guess they wanted to make people curious and interested in this subject?" I suggested. "I mean, curiousity could have overtook them."

Ash nodded and said, "Then, we will have to do some queries."

"Why don't we tell the manager that we are officers? We will get all our answers from them." Leaf questioned.

I was about to answer but the raven haired boy didn't let me, "No, we can't. We don't know whether the manager is innocent. We will have to ask some people here indirectly, we will do it right after we eat our food." We all nodded. From food I remembered... Pokémon! This is what Piplup wanted to tell!

"Oh shit! We didn't order food for Pokémons!"

* * *

 _ **How did you like? I am sure it was entertaining and everybody of you liked it! I felt myself, too. But, be sure to let me know what you truly think of this chapter! ; )**_

 ** _*sighs* Please, don't review of you don't like it...you can to criticize but not with vulgar language to insult me...heck, you don't even know how I look and my name! No one has the right to comment on their faces when you don't know them. Please. It's a humble request. I am fed up of that...please, try not to review something like that. Please._**

 ** _Thanks to everyone who read this chapter! I am looking forward to read your reviews! : D_**

 ** _Amd next chapter will be as amusing as this chapter! I can't wait to publish that!_**

 ** _Anyways, please, review, follow and favourite! : )_**


	6. Dawn's Trouble

_**Hi, guys!**_

 _ **I am back with a new chapter, again! This chapter will be as funny and entertaining as the previous one! ; )**_

 _ **I am really, really sorry for updating after three months... I know, I take a whole lot of time to update one chapter...but what can I do...I am really busy these days! I actually had it done before itself but...there's always a but...I didn't have time to get that beta-read by 'SelfiesWithSprinkles'...so pretty much, yeah. Sorry, once again!**_

 _ **Oh. My. Gosh. This story got 70 reviews, already! To be honest, I certainly didn't expect that! I am really happy, though! I love ya all, people! Virtual kisses to all of of you! Thanks a lot for your valuable reviews! Even I am all of your fans! ; p**_

 _ **Anyway, some of the reviewers asked me whether I was gonna add Drew and May...hmm...they took the words from my mouth! I actually had that going in mind for some time since I read the 'Washed Up Popstars', again...so yeah. I was thinking of adding them, anyway. And on of the guest named 'Reva' said that I should make those two Ash's friends just like how Gary and Leaf are to Dawn...and no need to worry! I will make sure to do that. But, they will appear in chapters after 10, I guess. And yeah, thank you so much for being with me, Reva! Even I don't know who you are but...you are great person, too! Why don't you make an account here and then...I guess...we could be great friends, you know? We could get to know each other better...please try. You are awesome! ; )**_

 _ **Now, you can start reading! ; p**_

 _ **** I am not really good at naming chapters, is just deal with it... Sorry!**_

 _ **I guarantee that you all will love will this chapter! I personally think so! Enjoy.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter - 6**_

 ** _Dawn's Troubles_**

We finished our meals quickly so that we could have enough time for investigation. And yes, we kinda forgot to order the food for Pokémons but now everything's cool except the fact that Piplup still glaring draggers at me. Pikachu and other Pokémons forgave us except this stubborn Piplup. I even offered him some extra poffins which we ordered as a desert for them, but still, he was not giving in! I guess, I'll have to say him sorry many times and promise him some things. Everyone says 'Like trainer, like Pokémon' to me, I am certainly not like Piplup, am I? I shrugged off that thought. Who knows?

After we ate our food, it was time for deserts! Leaf had ordered a sundae and Gary got himself a strawberry cheesecake. As for me, there were too many choices! I wanted to eat all but my stomach has its limits. I just ordered a Double Chocolate-Expresso Truffle Pie. And Ash? He didn't eat any desert as he said, he didn't like sweet dishes. But, I promised that I will make him eat any sweet. I am one evil girl! Mwahaha.

We all went separately to do our queries. I went around and searched for someone who could answer my question and eventually found one. She was a woman in her mid-thirties, with black hair and grey eyes and was wearing glasses. She must be intelligent! I went to her and questioned, "Ma'am, do you have any idea which Pokémon could be displayed tomorrow?"

"Pip?"

"No, and I don't have any interest in knowing either. I am here on my husband's request or else I'd rather enjoy going on a beach than coming here. And don't asked me any questions about it, again?! Understood?!" She yelled.

"Okay, okay," I nodded my head and ran away from there. I put a hand over my heart and leaned on a pillar. "Man, talk about intelligence," I muttered.

"Piplup!" He agreed.

"Let's ask someone else, shall we?"

"Lup!"

We walked around to find a person who is 'interested' in this whole thing. "Piplup!" I looked down in his direction and saw him pointing in one direction, where a man who was maybe...Give to four years older than me. He had blonde hair and green eyes. I walked up to him and started the conversation, "Hey, are you here to see the exhibition, tomorrow?"

"Piplup?"

He looked down on me as I as leaning on the pillar next to him, "Yeah, if I am not wrong that is why everyone is here for." He said it in a time which sounded very obvious and boring.

"Aren't you curious to know which Pokémon will be shown tomorrow?" I asked, playing with my Piplup.

He turned to look at me and said, "Listen, I am curious and all. But, I have to stay away from females other than my girlfriend, or else she will make me go through hell! I apologize but I have to go, alright?"

I nodded, "Oh...kay. Then, enjoy with your girlfriend?"

He grinned, "Thanks! But, I am sorry again!"

I shook my head and waved it, "It's alright, really. No need to worry!" He nodded and ran away. "Oh, are girlfriends really that scary?" I muttered to myself. "Anyway, I am not going to be like those. Also, I am not going to become a girlfriend anytime, soon!" I decided.

I just decided to ask a random guy, not judging on its looks this time. I approached a girl of my age and interrogated her, "Hey, do you have any idea, as to, which Pokémon would be exhibited tomorrow?"

"Pip?"

She gave a confused glance and asked, "Why?"

 _For an investigation related to tomorrow's robbery. Should certainly not be answer. Think of something, Dawn!...Oh, yes!_

"Actually, me and my husband have put a bet, on who would be the first person to find it out," I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

She giggled, "How cute!" Then, she gave me an apologetic look, "I am sorry, but I don't have any idea."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll have to ask some more people, I guess. See ya!" I waved her.

I continued my investigation, along with my Piplup. Heck, I even saw some celebrity couples walking hand in hand! After great effort I gathered some information about the Pokémon which was going to be exhibited. We had decided that we would meet in the garden near the fountain after one hour and it was almost time for us to meet. I was quite curious about how Ash would interrogate people, I mean, he talks very less and I wanna see him converse with people. I sighed. He is really a mystery to me. I made my way to the park. But wait! I don't know where the garden is!

"Piplup?" He tilted his head in confusion, he must have seen my worried expression.

I let out a nervous chuckle and said, "I don't know where the garden is." He deadpanned. "But, no need to worry! We'll find the way soon, and guess what? I have a _map!"_

"Pip.." He narrowed his eyes, doubtingly.

"Hey! Don't doubt on me, I _can_ read a map!"

"Piplup?" He raised his eyebrows, as if asking 'really?'.

I sighed, "Okay, I know. I can't read it." I gave in. I knew it too well that I couldn't win at that point. Yeah, my navigation skills are not of those things which are called 'good'. Seriously, who understands it? Actually, I am the only one who doesn't understand it. Reading it is not my cup of tea. I am thankful to Leaf and Gary that at least they know otherwise I would be lost in the woods.

I guess I'll have to ask directions from people.

"C'mon Piplup, we'll ask people around for the directions."

I asked many people but no luck. They were all close but no cigar. God, this hotel is bigger than I thought! I'll just roam around untill I find it.

"Oh man, I need to find the garden, soon!" I muttered. Suddenly, I bumped into someone. "Ouch!" That person was a boy as his body was very hard and strong.

"Can't you watch and walk!" He hissed. Whoever that person was, he surely doesn't have any respect. I finally looked up and saw who it was. And it was none other than the great, Ash Ketchum. "Oh, it's _you._ I couldn't expect any less from you." You know what? I am just gonna ignore what he said. I'm glad I met him now, I sighed, now he can take me there. "Aren't you supposed to be near the fountain? Leaf and Gary are probably waiting."

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be near the fountain, too?" I asked him back.

"I was making my way there, anyway. And why are you here?"

I can't possibly tell him that I was lost even after having a map. If I tell him then he'll start taunting about it.

"Piplup, pip, pip, piplup!" He was pointing at me and laughing, probably making my fun about how I can't understand a map and how we were lost in this hotel. I glared at him, thank goodness humans can't understand Pokémons speech, for once I am really grateful for it. Pikachu understood what he said and tried suppressing his laughter. Ash showed a confused expression.

"Umm, I..I..I was going there, too," I stammered in nervousness. I hope he buys it.

"Ok, then, you keep going I have some business to take care of, " He excused himself and started to leave. If he goes away, then how will I reach the garden?! I gotta stop him, otherwise I'll have to keep roaming here and there like a lost turtle!

"Wait!" I yelped and caught his arm, which stopped him from moving. He turned around and looked at me.

"Why? Are you scared?" He teased.

"No! It's not that!" I yelled.

"Then, what is it?" He enquired, giving me a look to tell faster. Piplup was still trying to stop his laughter.

I sighed, "Actually, I don't know where the garden is. I have the map but I am not very good at navigating and I am lost." I looked at the floor.

Then, I heard a light chuckle which caused me to look up. "Why are you laughing? It's not that funny!" I yelled in embarrassment.

"You _finally_ admitted the truth," He continued to chuckle. How did he know that I lied? Was he a psychic or something? I stood there with my mouth agape, dumbfounded.

"You might be thinking how I knew that you lied? The answer is simple. One, I saw you asking people for some directions and quickly understood what you were interrogating about. And two, remember, when we were searching for the food court?" I nodded. "That time I told you to hold the map for awhile, you were trying to figure out what is shown in an upside down map and the confused expression you were exhibiting, I understood that you _didn't_ know how to use a map." My jaw dropped, he is so clever! "I am not the senior post officer and sent here for a mission for no reason." I just stared at him, shocked. "C'mon, we don't have all day." I followed him.

We didn't had a word on our way to the meeting point. We both finally reached the garden and god, it was so mesmerizing! Shrubs and trees swaying in the dark night, flowers on the bushes sparkling and the smell of the nature was so calming. The small street lights glowing in the the darkness. We could see Leaf and Gary talking. The fountain was pretty, too, it had big heart from which the water splashed.

"Hey guys!" I greeted and Ash simply waved.

"So, did any of you got a clue if what the Pokémon might be?" Ash questioned, to which we all nodded.

"It's Giratina!" We three said in unison.

"But, why would they want to rob a statue of Giratina?" Leaf wondered.

"Once we get all the info about that myth, then we'll get the answers to our questions," I whispered to myself.

"Dawn, did you say something?" Gary questioned. I shook my head, and waved it off. I can't tell them, now. I'll tell them at the specific time.

"We all should go to our rooms and sleep for now," Leaf yawned.

"If you are that sleepy, I can always take you to _our_ room, _Leafy,"_ Gary teased.

"Stop calling me that! And no, I don't want any favours from you! I have legs with which I can walk!" She yelled.

"Hey, hey, Leaf, calm down. He is just kidding!" I tried calming her.

"Who said I was kidding? I am serious." What?! Idiot! He laughed which caused me to hit him on his shoulder. His statement made even Ash to chuckle, the great Oak quickly went next to the brunette and scooped her up in bridal style. She shrieked.

"See?" Leaf whined. She squirmed in his arms but couldn't do anything. "Lemme go!"

Gary leaned closer to her face, "No use, Miss Strong. I am stronger than you, admit it. And...your protests are not going to work." She humph-ed and crossed her arms.

Good job, Mr Flirt. Great going.

We reached our rooms in no time. We said them goodnight and went in. I took out my nightdress from my bag and went into the bathroom to get changed. Piplup played around with Pikachu and Ash was seated on the bed in a deep thought. I quickly undressed myself and changed into my PJs, which were a peach colored sweatshirt underneath a white tank top and peach track **. (A/N; she is wearing the same nightdress as in the series)** I exited the bathroom.

"Um, Ash, you can go and change, too," I stated. He nodded his head, took his clothes and went in.

I quickly rummaged through my bag and found the book, 'Legends of the Legendaries' and my glasses. Piplup and Pikachu gathered near me and peeped into the book as I took a seat on the bean bag. I wore my glasses and searched for the page where Giratina's info was. I found it and started to read it. It was whole lot info about it.

"Oh, getting information about Giratina?" I got startled because he whispered into my ear in a deep voice. I was so lost in the book that I didn't notice Ash standing beside me.

"Don't startle me like that!" I scolded. He wore white sleeveless sweatshirt and black shorts which ended below his knees.

"What is written about it?" He enquired. Both the Pokémon were also eager to hear the info.

"It is said that Giratina is able to travel through and control dimensions besides those of time and space. While in Origin Forme, the three gold half-rings can grip objects. The horns on its head are now facing the back, and the black vertical stripe is broken into pieces and runs all the way down its body. It can only be in its Origin Forme when in its home, the Reverse World, or when holding aGriseous Orb. When in its Origin Forme, it is able to pass through dimensions at will, however, it will turn back to its Altered Forme due to the gravity change from the Reverse World. It does so by emitting a whirlwind from its mouth which creates a portal. It also seems to have a connection to reflective objects, such as mirrors and pools of water. Reflections embody the concept of the Reverse World. Giratina is a highly aggressive and territorial Pokémon protective of its home. Legends claim that Giratina appears in cemeteries and that it supposedly lives in a world on the reverse side. It was said to be banished for violence. Giratina is the only known Pokémon that can learn Shadow Force."

"Why that person might need the statue of this Pokémon?" He whispered to himself.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna sleep on the couch?"

"Who said? No one is going to sleep on the couch. We both can sleep on the same bed."

"Wha... What?! Um.. I... But how can we _both_ sleep on the _same_ bed?" I nervously asked. He didn't answer my question and stood still. "Hello! I asked you-"

"Shhh!" He placed his cold finger on my lips. "Keep quite. Don't speak until I tell you to do so, understood?" He was giving me a look which people give to their children, when they want them to keep quiet. I frowned and shook my head in denial. "No? _You_ are a child."

He went near the couch and started collecting the cushions. What was he thinking? He, then went to the bed and placed those cushions on the middle of it. He is really very clever. Why didn't I think of that before? He placed the cushions in such a manner that it divided the bed into two. Piplup and Pikachu clapped for him. He took out his blanket from his bag and put it on himself. I also went to the right side of the bed where I had to sleep and placed my book on the table near my side and on top of that I kept my specs. Both the Pokémons were on their bed and I switched off the lights. "Goodnight, everyone!" I wished them.

"Piplup!"

"Pikachu!"

I was waiting for Ash's response, when I didn't get any, I turned to my left side and closed my eyes. I don't care if he doesn't-

"Goodnight, _chatterbox,"_ I smiled. At least he replied. Even if he said that with an another new nickname of mine. "And one more thing, these glasses looks good on you." I blushed. _He,_ for the first time _complimented_ me! I felt so honoured! I got this compliment from many persons but this coming from Ash, made my heart splutter with happiness. I don't why but it feels so good.

"Thank you," I whispered, loud enough to be audible to him.

* * *

 _if I got locked away_  
 _And we lost it all today_  
 _Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?~_  
 _If I showed you my flaws_

I slid my right hand out of the blanket, my body was completely wrapped in the blanket and searched for the mobile which was kept on the table. I slowly opened my eyes and peeked from the blanket just to get a view where the phone was exactly kept. "Who is it at this time of the day? By the way what time it is?" I muttered.

I checked the time it was just...it was a bit blur as the drowsiness was still left in my eyes. It was..9, who could be calling me now? I typed my password and unlocked it to see it was Jerry. He'll probably tell us the details about today. But, I don't wanna answer! I'll call him later. I covered myself with blankets once again and closed my eyes.

 _If I got locked away_  
 _And we lost it all today_  
 _Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?~_  
 _If I showed you my flaws_

Let it ring. Why can't he call his favorite, Ash? "If you want to answer it then do it fast or else keep it on silent." I heard his voice.

"Urgh!" I jerked away the blanket and sat up straight. I grimaced to the sunlight which emitted from the balcony. I kept it on silent, I'll call him back after I get fresh. I yawned and stretched my arms. I looked to my right and saw Ash, he probably had a bath. As his hair was wet, a towel was around his neck and wore a...black jeans? Yesterday, he was in a towel and today... Oh! I cheekily grinned in my victory. "I am wearing it only because you're girl who is sharing a room with me." I guess, he saw my grin that's the reason he said that. But still, I won. I am not sure but I think I saw his cheek turn a little red.

"Uh huh," I picked my regular clothes and went in the bathroom. I took a quick shower and wore my uniform, black jeans, black vest underneath a white full sleeved buttoned up shirt, which I folded to three-fourth and black boots.

I came out of it and and saw Ash dressed in the same black jeans with blue buttoned up shirt which he also folded till his elbow and black vest on it and his leather boots. I couldn't believe that his and mine dressing style was same! He was busy doing something in his mobile. I put on my watch on my wrist from the dressing table and started to dry my wet hair with the mini hair dryer, which I carry.

I wonder what Leaf and Gary were doing? I'll have to take Ash's number, in case I need sometime in future. But, how will I take? I surely am not gonna go straightforward and ask him his phone number! I'll have to ask him indirectly, without letting him know that I want his number.

After I dried my hair, I tied it into a high ponytail. My front hair are shorter than the rest that's the reason my front hair is always on the sides. Sometimes, it gets quite irritating but don't expect me to put a clip and roam here and there like a small child.

Oh, yes! Jerry was calling me earlier this morning. I should probably call him, now.

I picked my mobile from the table and clicked 'Jerry' from the call log. A picture appeared of him, it started to ring.

 _"How many times did I call you? But you wouldn't answer!_ " I cringed and kept the phone a little away from my ear, which caused Ash to glance at me.

"Hey! I kept it on silent because your phone was disturbing my sleep. And...I am sorry?

" _Hm. Is Ash there with you?_ " I sighed.

"Yes, he is here. Just a sec," I kept the call on speaker. "Now, he can hear what you are saying." I went sat next to Ash, so that he could hear it, too.

" _Listen, the Pokémon which is going to be exhibited is Giratina._ "

"We already know that." We both said in unison.

" _Ok, this information is an important one, we have investigated the previous spot from where Celebi's statue was stolen. We found there a symbol, which they placed on the exact place where the statue was kept. I think that it is their symbol. Dawn, I'll sent you the image."_

"Thank you, Jerry," Ash thanked.

" _That's what my job is and I wish you a very good luck_."

"Thanks and no need to worry, we'll try out best to stop them from stealing the statue!" He ended the call. Ash turned his attention back to his phone. I checked my WhatsApp messages to see if he sent it or not.

I saw Leaf had changed her dp, she was standing on sand in a beach, she wore an orange floral print sundress and the same hat she wore yesterday, a cream hat with red ribbon wrapped around it and she was barefooted. Because of the wind, her hair and dress swayed to the right direction, she was holding her hat with her left hand to prvent it from flying and her other hand was on the side. She looked _gorgeous!_ I giggled, Gary will be lost at words when he sees this pic. I saved it to my gallery.

You know, I am quite curious to know what Ash's display picture might be. I mean, I wonder what kind of pics he take? I sighed, I wish I had his number.

 _But Dawn, why would you like to see his pics, huh?_

My conscience scolded me but I couldn't resist.

 _Yeah, I don't want to see...but a glimpse of it will be enough. Right, Dawn? Yeah, right._

'Beep'

I received the message from Jer. I got an idea how to get his number! "Hey, Ash!" I called.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want me to send this symbol to you? You know, it's not good for only one person to have this." I nonchalantly shrugged. He thought for some time.

"Yeah, you can send it to me." He decided.

"But..for that I'll need your phone number?"

"Oh yeah." Hit on the right target! He dictated his number to me and I saved it with the name 'Ash'. I quickly opened his WhatsApp contact and sent him the picture, so that he won't doubt on me. I clicked his dp and it was loading. I know, it feels so _stalkerish_ doing this!

It appeared and god, he looks so, I feel really awkward saying this but...damn _hot!_ I can't resist calling him that especially after seeing this photo! My cheeks changed its colour to red and I started goggling it. He was sitting on a rock, wet auburn hair as messy as ever, dressed in a black unbuttoned vest, revealed his toned chest and worked out abs, glistening with water. He wore black sunglasses and he had a toothpick in between his gritted teeth, his face was tilted to his right side, which gave off a complete bad boy look! He sure was a handsome _hunk!_ I felt extremely weird calling him all these words but what to do, I couldn't control my words! I, at least saw him shirtless yesterday, ha!

 _Stop it, Dawn! You are acting like a biggest pervert of the whole universe! You gotta stop it! Concentrate on the mission not on the boy!_

I shook my head continuously and I didn't realise that my cheeks were now dark crimson. It caused Ash to look at me weirdly, as if I had gone nuts. I eventually stopped it but my blush certainly was not ready to leave yet.

I quickly saved it to my secret folder images. No one can open my mobile as it has a password and even if they figure it out they can't unlock the app lock I kept on this folder, because if anyone sees this, then, they will think I am a stalker, especially Ash!

Now, back to work! I carefully observed the symbol. It was a black circle on which a 'C' was inscribed. I wonder what it means?

"Um, Ash?" I called out.

"Yeah?" He looked at me, questioningly.

"What time was the exhibition gonna start? I kinda forgot," I sheepishly smiled and rubbing my palm on the back of my neck.

"It was 3:45! You really have a short term memory loss. Geez, who made you the topmost senior officer of SBI?" He raised his eyebrows, with frustration.

"The Mayor," I grinned.

* * *

 ** _So...what did I say, huh? It was Awesome, wasn't it? Yes?... No?... Inform me by reveiwing! ; P_**

 ** _In my opinion, that part where Dawn was acting all pervy over Ash was damn hilarious! I legally enjoyed that scene! Hahaha! I am sure you all did, too! XD_**

 ** _My birthday is just TWENTY days away! Oh my gosh, I am so excited! Eep! And guess what? A good news; This time I am going update twice a month just on the occasion of my birthday! Wohoo! You all will get to read an early update this time! Yay! Stay tuned..._**

 ** _And can you believe that I got more than 2,000 views for those five chapters! Sheesh, I never imagined that I could reach till there! Man, they make my day!_**

 ** _Okay, so...tell me your opinions by reviewing these chapters! I am eagerly waiting to see the out come of this chapter...because...I think you all already know what I am going to say...so do inform me! I promise I will reply to all of your questions!_**

 ** _*Everyone thank you for supporting me in the previous chapter! Especially Anica123, Bluepaw265 an da guest! Thanks to all of you! Love ya!_**

 ** _Please, read, review, favourite and follow! See you soon!_**

 ** _Bye, everyone! ; )_**


	7. A Face-off with The Duo

_**Hi, guys! ; )**_

 _ **I apologize for updating this one day late...I was a lot busy in my birthday stuff! And...In that whole process I almost forgot to update...Deep apologies for that! Sorry!**_

 _ **But no need to worry the chapter is here! Anyway, today is the The Double, The Trouble's first anniversary! (I know, it's stupid) I published this story exactly one year before and I just completed seven chapters...I know, it's such a shame but hopefully this year, I will update more often than the previous year! Crossed my fingers! : P**_

 _ **It's my fifteenth birthday! I was so damn excited and I am just one year away from my sweet sixteen! And, Anica123 just made it more than special! She organized a whole surprise party for me and that was the best moment of my life! She is my BFF, after all! Thanks a million for such a brilliant day, Anica! (Though I told you, already!)**_

 _ **Also, DarkestLightOfHope updated her chapters of my favourite stories in my birthday, which meant a lot to me! Thanks to you, too, sissy! (You said it in your story that I was like your sister, so...)**_

 _ **Ok, fine! I am done with all this blah blah, you can finally read this chapter! I hope it entertains you all!**_

 _ **Start! ; P**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter - 7**_

 _ **A face-off with The Duo**_

It was almost 4:45 and we all were now assembled in the exhibition hall. Leaf and I had our hands around our so-called 'husbands', we had to _show_ that we are really a couple and for that we have to do this stuff. All the couples surrounded the stage to see the statue and luckily, we four were in the front row, close to the stage. Many security guards stood near the stage and there was media who clicked photos and filmed each and every detail.

"When will they exhibit the statue?" Gary asked in a bored voice. He wore the same attire as before but the shirt was dark red. "They are hiding it as if it is a world's most precious _diamond!"_

"After all, it _is_ a famous statue which can be stolen anytime, soon." Leaf answered. She also wore same dress as usual, except her shirt was baby pink.

"But they can take how much time they need because as long as you keep your hand wrapped around mine, I can stand the whole day like this." Woah! He is really good at flirting! His words caused her to blush but she didn't reply.

"Now, we are going to show you the statue of one of the legendary Pokémon, Giratina!" The announcer announced. The red curtain was pulled up and revealed the model. It was...awesome! I was awe-struck by the finest and detailed sculpt. It looked as if it was the real Giratina, but its face showed a little fear and anger. I pondered upon it a bit but then waved it off. I quickly took out my mobile and snapped a photo of it, without letting others notice.

I wonder what kind of tricks will the robbers use? And how do they even look like?! I could feel my palms getting sweaty...man, I can't be nervous, now! It's just that how will they able to steal it with this much of high security? What if they take it away, when with us being here? What if we are not able to protect this thing?!

 _Stop it, Dawn! You shouldn't get all too negative thoughts in your mind at this time! Be more confident in yourself and your companions! C'mon, you know better than that!_

I shook my head, trying to shake off those negative thoughts. Though, I was still bit anxious and tensed but...no need to worry, right?

"Venonat, use sleep powder."

 _Yeah, no need to worry! ...But that's when I worry the most..._

We knew what was about to happen because we four, along with our Pokémons covered our noses. A big cloud of sleep-inducing dust scattered away, which caused everyone, even the security and media to fall asleep. Geez, what kind of security guards are they? The dust cleared, but we couldn't see anyone. Weird. The people who attacked this area should be here...

Suddenly, two people jumped from the above, which caused us to look up. They were standing on the... _chandelier_?! When they jumped, the glass chandelier burst, causing it to break into millions of glass peices and fall on the ground. While they were still in air, the whole glass pieces and light sparks had a great background. It gave quite an effect... _Whoa,_ talk about an entry!

They both landed on the ground, perfectly on their feet. They might be well trained...

One was a boy with dirty blonde hair and icy blue eyes and pale skin. He wore a non-revealing, airtight black suit on which the same alphabet 'C' was printed. He had the Venonat beside him, which meant that he was the one who ordered the sleep powder.

The other one was a short blue haired woman with fair skin and red eyes. She wore the same suit as the other guy except she had a skirt with black leggings. They both looked equal to our ages. "Well, well, if it isn't the _SBI officers_."

They might have done a good research on us. If so, then they might even know our names.

Gary questioned, "And you might be?"

"Me? Since that question came from a handsome guy like you, I'd be more than happy to answer. My name's Miette, a sweet name, right? You don't have to answer, I already know it." The blue-haired lady or Miette laughed with a hand near her mouth. We all sweatdropped. She sure knows how to praise herself, huh?

The black-haired guy hissed, "Miette, stop speaking nonsense. Do the work which we are assigned for." He looks way smarter than her.

"Sorry, Trip, I got carried away," she apologized.

While they were still talking, we had to do something, soon! I quickly thought about what could be possibly some in a situation like this...wait...I got it!

I slowly ordered, "Gary, Leaf, go to security room and switch on the security system, again," They nodded their heads and ran towards the exit. Gary was an expert at operating technological devices. "Ash, you take care of Miette, I'll take care of Trip," he nodded.

"Hey, why don't we just take the statue and leave? I don't think they will be able to battle our Pokémon," Miette asked Trip.

"Nah, I'd like to see what's so special in Dawn, I mean, in her battling style," He enunciated with an amusement in his voice. "Come out, Claydol."

A large, black Pokémon that resembled a mud statue with two stubby legs. It had a wide, spherical head with a rounded protrusion on top. Around its head were many large, pink eyes with yellow, beak-like protrusions between each. A wavy, white rim ran along the upper edges of the eyes. Its torso has white ring markings, each with a downward extension and yellow dot in the middle. It had spherical arms with a rounded protrusion that were capable of firing beams. These arms were not attached to its body. "A Claydol, huh?" I took out my Pokédex and scanned.

 _"Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokémon. Claydol is the evolved form of Baltoy. These ancient Pokémon are said to come alive when a mysterious light instilled life into clay creatures created in ancient times. Claydol can fly and are able to fire beams from both arms."_

I looked beside me, "Piplup, are you up for it?"

"Piplup!" I glanced at Ash, he was engaged in a battle between his Pikachu and her Venonat.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt," Ash ordered. Why is he so calm? He is supposed to be a bit worried! If he is a human, then he has to feel to the same emotions as me! But if he is experiencing it...then why doesn't he express it?!

"Pika-chu!"

"Oh my, you look so handsome while battling! Venonat, dodge and then, use tackle!" He quickly dodged the attack and ran towards Pikachu.

"Are you crazy or something? Iron tail," He commanded with an irritated look. Pikachu blocked the hit with his iron tail which caused some damage to Venonat. "And now use quick attack."

"Yes, I am, but in your love. Now, use foresight!" She replied with a dreamy look on her face.

"Veno!" He used the move which was ordered which caused Pikachu to loosen it's power. But Ash had no expression of worry on his face! He might have a plan. Maybe, he knows what _her_ plan is or-

"Are we gonna battle or not?" Trip questioned with a bored look.

I grinned, sheepishly, "Oops, sorry!"

He then said, "You can have the first move." I was about to protest but stopped, when he continued, "I follow the policy; Ladies first." I gave an approving look. We both stood in a battle stance. I could feel adrenaline rushing through me! Ha, let's get it started, baby!

"Piplup, use bubble beam!" I dictated, to which Piplup nodded and followed the order. The bubble beam headed straight for Claydol.

Trip decreed, "Claydol, harden," His body glowed and took the attack but no damage. "And now, psybeam."

"Dodge it, quick and then, use whirlpool!"

"Piplup!" He dodged the attack and then used whirlpool, which hit Claydol. "Yay! Well done, Piplup!"

He puffed his chest, "Pip!"

Just then, the black-haired man laughed, "Do you really think my Claydol will get damaged this easily? Not a chance, use hyper beam,"

"Claydol!"

 _I didn't understand on thing...what was the use of having a battle at this time? I know, he's upto' something..._

I instructed, "Piplup, hydro pump, let's go!" The hyper beam clashed with the hydro pump, which resulted in a mini explosion. Smoke was spread all over, I couldn't see whether Piplup was alright or not. But, I could feel someone behind me. Just then, I crouched, turned around and swung my right leg, which caused the person behind me to fall. I quickly took out my gun from the holster and pointed it to the person. The smoke cleared and I saw who the person was; Trip.

I looked around and saw Piplup and Claydol both standing on their feet. I even saw Ash still engaged in a battle with Miette but it seemed that her Venonat could collapse any time soon and Pikachu, who didn't look like any damage was caused.

Trip questioned something which caused me to look at him, again, "How did you know that I was behind you?" He looked at his watch.

"I could feel your presence and it was really a dirty move. Hitting the opponent in the middle of a Pokémon battle? Very lame," I responded. Seriously? This was the best they could do? I shook my head in disapproval.

"So, this is how you are, huh? He wasn't wrong about you. You're a unique one, but think we'd give up this easily!" He rolled to his right and stood on his feet. He glanced at his wristwatch and turned to his companion, "Miette?"

I turned my attention to Ash's battle and saw that still there was no seriousness on his face. He looked as if he was bored of that battle and wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

"Pikachu, volt tackle," he ordered. Venonat didn't look like he could take that attack. Pikachu ran with full speed which emitted a high amount of electricity.

"Pika!"

The blue-haired woman panicked, "Oh my, what am I gonna do? I didn't know that a guy as handsome as you could be so rough, but that's what impressed me even more! Venonat, try dodging it!" Oh please, ask me about his roughness. I coughed. Venonat couldn't dodge even if he tried because he didn't have much energy left. The outcome of this match could be predicted.

As I was busy watching their battle, Trip took advantage of the time. He quickly took hold of my wrists and wrapped it behind my back, which caused the gun to fall from my hands.

"Pip, Piplup!"

He then said, "Do you really think I'd loose this easily?"

"Are you sure?" We both turned our head around and saw that Ash held his gun on Miette's head and he caught her right hand. Pikachu was seated on Ash's shoulder and Piplup stood next to him with a 'bring it on' look on his face.

Miette held her left cheek with her free hand and shyly expressed, "It feels so good to have you hold my hand like that!" Ash made a frustrated look. I took the opportunity to defend myself, I placed my right lower leg behind his right lower leg, wrapped it around his and pulled it back, which caused him to fall. What are they upto'?

"Pika!" "Piplup!" Trip, again, checked his watch and smirked. What is going on...?

He threw a smoke bomb in air and when it cleared, Miette and Trip, both were missing from their places. We looked around and saw them standing next to the statue.

 _I just hope Gary and Leaf do their job and lock the security, again. C'mon, guys, please!_

Just then, as I wished, the security system was on. A thick transparent box covered the statue and the robbers along with the Claydol were trapped in it. Just then, Gary and Leaf arrived. I smiled, triumphantly but it soon started to fade because they... disappeared! Along with the statue! Everyone's face was equally shocked as mine. "Darn it!" I cursed.

Leaf uttered, "But how?"

"Yeah, how the hell did that happen?" Gary blurted. "But...wait... didn't they have a Pokémon with them, too?"

I nodded, "Yeah, a Claydol."

Gary insinuated, "Claydol's a psychic type Pokémon, right?"

"So, that means..." Leaf trailed.

"Yeah, Claydol used teleport to escape," Ash cleared.

Leaf, then, questioned further, "But, why did they teleport when the security was on? Couldn't they escape a bit earlier than that? And how did they know that the security system was gonna be locked at that particular time?"

"Good questions, Leaf. I think, that they wanted to test us to know what we're capable of doing because they could have stolen the statue and ran away without battling us but they didn't anything such that," Ash pointed out. Yeah, now that I think of it he said,

 _'Nah, I'd like to see what's so special in Dawn, I mean, in her battling style.'_

 _'So, this is how you are, huh? He wasn't wrong about you. You're a unique one.'_

I wonder what he meant by that. And who was the _'he'_ he was talking about. I thought about the present situation and speculated, "I think...they knew that one of us will go and on the security. They also knew the amount of time it'd take to switch it on, so... they took the time to test us and get to know our strategies and way of battling. They took mine and Ash's physical test, too, which isn't enough to satisfy them. I even noticed him looking at his watch again and again, he...might have been waiting for the right time to steal the carved material. Hey, now that we think of it, we could attack them if the barrier wouldn't have come, it means...that they came all planned."

Leaf commented, "Whoa, who knew they could be such masterminds?"

"What are we supposed to do, now?" Gary pointed to the people who were still asleep. "Don't you think they should've been awake by now? The effect of sleep dust is almost over."

"Let's take this time to investigate around the area a bit, if they wake up, they will disturb us by ranting on all the questions." Ash stated, as we all started to wear our gloves and took out our MPCOM. I went along with Piplup, where the statue was previously kept. They should've left the same 'C' symbol just like before. I searched here and there and saw the same stucker on the table. I took it out and analyzed it, to find out that there was something written on it. I had to squint my eyes in order to see what was inscribed on it. "Hey, guys, I found something!" I called the others.

"Pip!" Even, he called. They all gathered near me and I showed them the sticker, to which Ash retorted, "So, what? This is the their symbol, we all know that."

"Listen, first," I said, through my gritted teeth and continued, "there is something written on it." All three of them examined it.

"Yeah, there is something on it." Gary nodded and took it in his hands. He carefully saw and said, "It is written _'Cosmic',_ " he handed the sticker back to me and I kept it in my pocket.

Leaf suggested, "It can be their team name, _'Team Cosmic'."_ It can be possible. Just then, we heard groans and turned around. All the people were awake, even the security and the manager. They all started to question where the sculpture was and all. We all then explained, who we are and what happened. Why do they ask so many questions?! I expected the management to blame us, as to why we couldn't we save the icon, but no such accusation came. I was really glad, otherwise, we'd had to deal with another situation.

Leaf took out her 'Galaxy A7' and answered the phone call. She called us to have a conversation with Jerry. His hologram appeared,

 _"So, how was the mission? Were you all able to defeat them?"_

I sighed, "Sorry, but, no. They came all planned and we tried stopping them but,... no luck."

He looked at us with a smile, _"Don't worry, we'll catch that gang, soon. We're trying to figure what might be the myth behind this. Also, we'll find out where and which Pokémon's sculpture is going to be show cased next."_

"Thanks, Jerry!" Leaf thanked. He nodded and hung up.

At first, when I was new to this job, I used to get depressed and angry at the fact that we lost to those criminals. I couldn't concentrate on my work for days, which would always end up me being confronted by Emily. She would always say,

" _When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal."_

It was more than inspirational for me and I always remember it whenever I get defeated. I get so determined to accomplish my goal. I glanced at Ash, he seemed to be so engrossed in a thinking. I wonder what was he thinking? "Hey, Ash! Whatch'a thinking?"

"I was just wondering what is the use of collecting all these statues of the legendaries...I mean, what can it possibly do and what does that person, behind all these robberies, earn?As Jerry said, there is a myth behind it but what kind of myth?" Ash explained with a his arms folded. Pikachu sat on his shoulder with a thinking look, too.

"We can't find the info about it until and unless we search for it." I shrugged.

Piplup chirped, "Piplup!" Ash just nodded and went away to talk with Gary. I, also, went to enquire the management.

* * *

We still stayed in the hotel room as we had our booking for three days and two nights. Right now I was in my room balcony, enjoying the scenario in front of my eyes. The city was lit up with countless lights which made the area shone beautifully. I closed my eyes and rested my arms on the railing, I sighed, today was so... _pressurizing._ I looked around and saw Piplup playing with Buneary, I took a deep breath, it's been days since I trained with my Pokemons. If I what them to be strong, then, I will have to train them, we don't know when we'll have to face any challenge, but I promise myself that I will play and train them.

"Piplup?" I glanced down to see Piplup and Buneary with concerned looks.

"No need to worry!" I gave them a weak smile, which satisfied them.

Ash and Pikachu were out to stroll in the garden, l think even he got a bit stressed after today's events. I glanced at the sky, infinite stars sparkled and the Moon shone fulgently. I felt so peaceful and calm whenever I look at the sky. I smiled, though I lost the first battle but that doesn't mean we can't win the war!

 _Dawn, sometimes we need to lose small battles in order to win the war! We can and we will accomplish our goal!_

Just then, I heard a clicking sound and turned around to see Ash and Pikachu. The electric Pokémon quickly climbed down and went towards Piplup, which resulted in Buneary coming right in front of him and blushing. I turned my attention back to Ash, he gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom. I again turned around and stood in the same position as before, admiring the black night.

I started to hum a song, which was so comforting. Now, hearing my own voice, it made me feel sleepy. I let out a yawn. I should probably go for a sleep. Before I could move, I saw Ash standing next to me, stargazing. "Are you depressed about today's events?"

"Nah, I am used to it, so it doesn't really affect me," I waved off. "What about you?"

"It's not like it's the final one, I don't get depressed over such small things," he said before asking, "Why were you starting at me with your eyes squinted most of the time? Now, dint even deny it because I noticed you doing that."

My eyes widened in shock that, he even noticed that! I decided to reply, "It was because I noticed that those eye lens didn't suit you even a single bit. Your natural brown eyes looks the best on you."

He looked away and I could see the barely visible dust of red, painting his cheeks. It was very light, you could see only if you focus on it. I decided to change the topic. "Don't you feel sleepy?" I questioned him, because I, certainly, was.

He closed his eyes and whispered, which was audible to me, "I am just exhausted, I need some rest."

"Well, rest and sleep are almost the same!"

"Just _almost,"_

I groaned in frustration, he opposes everything I say! "Fine! I am gonna go in, to take a _sleep!"_ I spun my heels and was about to walk in the room but I had one question which I needed to ask. I turned around and stood next to Ash.

"Now what?"

"When that girl, Miette was flirting with you, you didn't seem to enjoy it. Why? I mean, boys love flirting and every single one is like that. Also, she was beautiful."

"First, I am not like every other guys, don't compare me with anyone. Second, she was very clingy and a crazy woman," He sharply replied. "Why? You wanted to flirt with me?"

I scoffed, "Why on the earth will I ever want to flirt with _you?"_

He smirked, "Even if you want, you can, I don't mind. Feel free. Also, if you don't call praising a boy on his eyes flirting, then I wonder what that is called? Like I said, I am always ready to face your flirting. Feel free."

My jaw dropped, "Now, _you_ are the one who's flirting!" I continued, "Also, that is called complimenting, you dirty-minded boy!"

He chuckled. "This is not called flirting, it is known as enjoyment, angry little bird," he ruffled my hair and went in with Pikachu following close behind. "See ya," he gave a two finger wave and disappeared in the room. I was left with my mouth agape, dumbfounded.

 _I seriously don't understand his logic!_

* * *

 _ **Hash, finished! So...How did you all like it? Was it was fun enough? Did you all enjoyed it?! Anyway, you can tell me all about it via reviewing it and voicing your opinions! : )**_

 _ **Announcement : The next chapter will be up after April 14, 2017... My board exams are starting from 10th March and ending on April 8...Actually, I was going to update on that day itself but...I am going to another country for my vacations, and my trip starts on 12 April and I will reach there on 13 April, so I decided that after I take one day rest..I would update! So, hopefully I will keep my promise! : D**_

 ** _Anyway, I wanted to suggest you all an awesome romantic, comedy anime! I am sure you all will love it, too! It's name is Masamune-kun No Revenge. It is still in the middle of releasing the episodes, but it's manga is complete. Only eight episodes have come but those are really awesome! I ship Masamune with Adagaki because they are the most obvious! I hope you all, too, ship those two! Give it try, people! ; D_**

 ** _I hope this time I receive a lots of reveiws! So, don't forget to read, favourite, follow and review! ; )_**

 ** _See ya!_**


	8. The Little Demon

_**Hey, guys! *waves***_

 _ **I am so sorry! I really wanted to update it earlier, but for some reason I couldn't...I apologize! *holds ears* Hope you can forgive me!**_

 _ **Also, I was greatly distracted by reading mangas! I had taken a huge liking to Chinese Manhuas, recently... I really love Manhuas rather than Japanese Mangas... Seriously! It's awesome! You know, most of the Manhuas contain romance and shoujo! And...I AM A HUGE FAN OF SHOUJO ROMANCE STORIES! And their drawings has colour, which is why I can make difference in the characters...their quality and drawing is amazing, too! Some of which I read were Knight Starry Night, Vampire Sphere, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom, Journey to Seek Past Reincarnations, Phoenix Against the World,**_ ** _Feng Qi Cang Lan, Prince, don't do this, C_** ** _huan Yue Xi Yuan 3000 Hou Manhua, Xuan Hi Ci,_** ** _Fei Xi Yan Xue and Good luck, Demon king! S2...they are all awesome! I suggest you all to read and give it a shot! I am sure you all will love it, too!_**

 ** _Also, this chapter is gonna be a filler one...sorry, I could come up with this, only...no need to worry! I promise that the next one will be out, soon! Real soon! ; )_**

 _ **And...Wohooo! *squeals* I've got 95+ reviews! Yay! I am really glad...just three reviews and I'll complete a century! I can't believe! I am so excited for the 100th review...!**_

 _ **Anyway, continue reading...**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 8_**

 ** _The Little Demon_**

We packed our bags and left the hotel in the morning after we had our breakfast, and then we went to the Pokémon center to get our Pokémons checked. We didn't know where our next destination was, so we decided to stay in the center. Also, since we had nothing to do, Leaf told that we all should go for a stroll in the city. Ash, being the biggest jerk, said that he would pass, but Leaf convinced him. I have already come to this city many times...but I couldn't say no.

Now, we were on the roadside, and I was searching if I could find any market, from where I could buy some chocolates. I was wearing a hot pink rocker T-shirt with a white star print on the middle, blue jeans and white wedges. My hair was, as always, tied in a pony. "Piplup, can you see any market which sells chocolates?"

Piplup shook his head, "Pip...lup."

Just then, I saw a shop and dashed in it, along with Piplup in my hands. My love, I am coming soon! I bought some chocolates and stuffed it in my jeans pocket. I came out of the shop with a bar of 'Flutes' in mine and Piplup's hand. I saw Leaf being teased by Gary and Ash giving me weird look. He was dressed in a half-sleeved red half-sleeved Tee, baggy pants and black sneakers.

I asked, "What?"

"You know _what_ I noticed about you from the day we met and till now?" Obviously, he would say something which insult me.

Nonetheless, I still replied, "What?"

He answered, "You eat more chocolates than your meals."

"Tell me something new," I spat back. I decided that I should give even Pikachu a chocolate bar, as Ash doesn't eat it, obviously, he won't buy it for Pikachu. "Hey, Pikachu, here. Try it, you will love it, too," he came and took it.

"Pika!" He beamed gratefully.

Ash, suddenly, said, "I don't eat chocolates, doesn't mean that I don't provide it to Pikachu. I buy him whatever he wants, whenever he wants."

Again, is he a psychic or something?

I bit my tongue. I shouldn't have thought something like this about him...though he is rude to me, but, he can't be rude to his Pokémon. But...how did he figure what I was thinking? Was he a psychic or something?

I cleared my throat. "I wasn't thinking like that!" He shook his head in annoyance and turned away. Humph! As if I care!

Just then I heard, "Urgh! I hate you so much, Gary!" I smiled and shook my head. This Gary doesn't really gets tired of teasing her, does he? I moved forward and decided to listen to more of its conversation. Leaf was dressed in a yellow sundress with thin straps and brown sandals. Her hair was let down, accompanied by a cream hat that had a red ribbon wrapped around it.

"So...does that mean you _loved_ me before? I knew it, you loved me since the day we met! You don't have to be shy about it, Leafy! You still have a chance to be with me!" He smirked. He was wearing a brown and red striped Tee, black pants, and red sneakers.

I glanced at Leaf and saw her pink cheeks puffed out. It looked like it could have explode any moment!

She stomped her feet. "When _did_ I ever say that?! Gary, you...you..you are..." Oh, my gosh! She looked so frustrated.

"I'm what? Hot, right?"

She threw up her hands, "You are...an idiot!" It was a good drama to watch! Entertaining!

Suddenly, I felt someone tug my jeans. I looked down and saw...Shane? What was he doing here? "Hey, Dawn! What are you doing here?"

All of three of looked down and saw five year old, fair, brown-haired boy with black eyes. He was dressed in a white with red bordered Tee, blue shorts and black shoes. Leaf and I used to babysit him when he was small, as he was my neighbor. I kneeled down to be equal to his height." _I_ should be the one to ask you that!"

"Piplup!" He waved at the little guy.

He grinned and replied, "I am here on a summer location!"

I patted his head and corrected him. "Location? Oh...you mean to say vacation, right?"

"Yeah! That!" He looked up and saw Leaf. "Hey, Leaf! You look more _beautiful_ than before!" I stood up and glanced at Ash and Gary, whose eyes were widened.

Leaf gushed, "Aww, thanks a lot, Shane. I must say, even you became a more handsome than before!" She bent down and pulled his cheeks.

"Damn, that kid sure is small, but knows how to _flirt!"_ Gary whispered to Ash, astonishment was clear in his voice, even impressment could be hinted.

Ash, also, commented in a low volume, "I didn't know such a small boy, could pronounce the word _'beautiful.'"_ I stifled a laugh. They were going to see much more than this, actually!

"Who are these boys? Are they troubling you?" Shane interrogated in his cute, suspicious tone. His eyebrows wiggled adorably.

"No, they are our-"

I was disrupted by Shane's squeak, _"Boyfriends?"_ I was going to tell him the truth, but again, I was cut off by Gary. I hate being interrupted!

"What if we _are?_ There's nothing you can do, right?" Gary questioned mockingly.

"They can _never_ be yours, because they are _already_ mine!" Shane yelled in exasperation.

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, you don't plan on annoying him, do you? He is just a five year old, he doesn't know what to and when to speak."

"Dawn, don't ruin my fun," he replied to me, before turning back to the young boy. "If you want to have them, you gotta be of their age. You are way too small!" Gary arched and Ash smirked. Shane was bursting with frustration, cheeks puffed out.

I decided to break their amusement, poor boy was becoming tense. "Shane, they are lying. Those two are our friends, not boyfriends." He still looked angry.

Leaf joined in, saying, "We haven't introduced him to you both, have we? Ash, Gary, this is Shane, and Shane, they are Ash and Gary!"

Shane wasn't even looking towards them. Ash squatted to speak to him. "Hey, Shane! It was fun meeting you." Still no response. He sighed. "Listen, buddy, I am sorry. Gary was messing with you, he enjoyed watching you get annoyed. It's his habit of teasing others, so don't feel upset. Look, Gary is apologizing." Shane looked up and saw Gary holding his ears.

"Pika?"

He let out a small smile and said, "It's alright." Ash ruffled his hair and got up.

"How do you both know him?" Gary queried.

"We both used to babysit him on holidays," Leaf replied.

I started, "Shane, where is your sister...and your parents? I am sure you're here with your family!"

"Pip-lup!" he asked the same thing as me.

"Mom...dad...and sister? Hmm..I don't know! I was feeling bored because they were buying dresses, so I came outside and saw you!"

I, somehow, expected him to do something of this sort...Shane...you always do this.

Leaf sighed, "I guess, now we have to find your parents, right?"

"Yup!" Shane gave a toothy grin. We could never be free, could we?

* * *

We began wandering around the city to search for Shane's parents. I gave him a chocolate from my pocket, as he was a child, every child has a habit of eating from time to time. We were now exhausted from all the hard work. So, we decided to take a rest in a park.

We went and sat down on the benches there; Ash and I on one bench, because I thought I should give some time to Gary with Leaf. Otherwise, did you really think that I'd agree to share a bench with him? Ha, no way in hell!...But, now I have to just because of friendship! Shane was playing with the Pokémon. Children are always energetic!

"Hey, I need an ice-cream!" Shane tugged Ash's shirt and requested, pointing to an ice-cream stall near the fountain.

"Okay, fine," Ash agreed.

I couldn't keep quiet and jumped in, "Even me!" Ash gave a weird look, as if asking _"seriously?"_ I coolly asked, "What?" He rolled his eyes.

He got up and went to the stall, with me and Shane skipping behind him. He asked us, "What do you want?"

Shane replied, "Strawberry ice-cream with wafers!"

I observed the flavours and grinned. "Chocolate ice-cream with choco chips and chocolate syrup! I love it, it's my favourite!" My eyes were sparkling at the thought of eating that...

"What is _not_ your favourite, when it is related with _chocolates?"_ he taunted, turning around to give the order. I took out my wallet from my side pocket to pay the seller. I was about to give the money, suddenly, I felt Ash grab my hand. I looked at him, questioningly.

"Do you _really_ think I would let you pay?"

"I thought you'd buy for Shane and I'd buy one for myself," I innocently, muttered, which was loud enough for him to hear.

Ash questioned, in a slight angry tone, maybe even hurt, "Do you really think I'm that _low?"_

I waved my hands, defensively. "No! I mean...why _would_ you pay for me? After all, I irritate you a lot, right?"

"Because -"

Shane interjected, "Hey, I need my ice-cream, quick!" Ash turned to the seller, paid the money and took the ice-creams.

He handed Shane his and me, mine. I again, enquired, "Aren't you going to buy one for yourself?"

"Yay! I am eating an ice-cream!" Shane cheered.

He shrugged. "I don't like it."

"Then, what _do_ you like?"

Ash stated, "Worry about yourself." I decided that it was good if I better kept quiet. We both sat far away from each other on the same bench. Shane adjusted himself in the middle of both of us.

"This ice-cream is so tasty!" he exclaimed. I licked my ice-cream, as I saw Gary and Leaf had ice-creams in their hands, too.

"Shane, which mall do you think you were in? Do you have any idea?" I interrogated.

"Hmm, it was...Sunday mall."

My jaw dropped. "You _knew_ the name?!"

"Yes!"

"Then, why _didn't_ you tell us?!"

"Because you didn't ask me the name."

I slapped my forehead, I glanced at Ash and saw a smile playing on his lips. I was confused, why was he smiling? "You are a very clever boy, aren't you?" Ash praised and patted Shane's head.

"I am not that special." He blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"You know the appropriate answers for the questions asked. You answer only what is asked, not more than that. You don't speak unnecessarily, unlike some person I know and you try to not reveal much about yourself, which is a sign of intelligence. I like you, dude," he chuckled, and high-fived Shane. That's what Ash exactly is like! No doubt he will like children like him!

I looked to the place where Leaf and Gary were seated. And guess what I saw? Gary kissing Leaf?! What the hell? Wait...it can't happen this soon... I got up from my place and walked up a bit closer in their direction. I got a clear view of what they were doing...Gary was blowing in Leaf's eye! Maybe, something went in her eyes?

I saw Shane spring up from his seat and went to Leaf. He jumped between them, pushing Gary away from the girl and shouted, "What do you think you two are doing?!"

"He was blowing in my eye because something went in it," Leaf replied.

Shane asked with a hurt voice, "Why does _he_ have to do that?! Even I can do it!" He looked as if he was about to cry. _Wow._ He sure knows how to emotional blackmail a girl...

Even Ash looked amazed and amused, at the same time. He _is_ quiet but enjoys everything, even if he doesn't shows it openly. I smiled as I turned my focus back on them.

"But...Leaf..he is small, he doesn't know how to do it.." Looks like Shane is snatching away Gary's chances!

Leaf giggled. "Gary, it's fine! Hey, Shane! Hurry up, my eye is hurting!" As soon as she said those words, I saw a glint of evilness in Shane's eyes and he was smirking evilly...woah! I think, even Gary saw it. I was _highly_ impressed with this kid! Seriously!

Now, I saw instead of Gary, Shane standing on the bench and blowing. He was short, after all. Ash broke my thoughts and remarked, "Looks like Gary lost to a small guy, today." I laughed at his comment.

"I _really_ wanna tease him about it, now!" I squealed. By now, my ice-cream was finished. I went towards them rubbing my palms in anticipation. I stood next to Gary and whispered in his ear, "Looks like Gary has some _competition~"_ I was controlling my laughter.

He gritted his teeth and snapped, "He is _just_ a kid!" I laughed. I pulled his right cheek as he crossed his arms and slumped back.

I commented, "You are very cute, when you are angry!" He turned his head the other side.

"Did it go?" Shane cutely, asked Leaf.

"Yeah, it's better now," Leaf rubbed her eye.

I decided to break in the news to them. "Shane informed us that his parents are in the 'Sunday Mall.'" I saw Gary and Leaf give me shocked glances.

Gary emphasized, _"Informed_ you?"

I nodded and saw Ash standing next to me, with his arms crossed. "When angry bird asked him the name of the mall, he answered."

"Who is angry bird?" Shane questioned.

"Hey, you, listen, my name is _'Dawn'_ not some 'angry bird!'" I snorted.

Shane laughed. _"Dawn_ is angry bird?!" I glared at him. "Woo, I love angry birds!"

Leaf interrupted, "Guys, now let's go and return Shane to his parents."

"I don't wanna go!" He pouted.

Gary muttered, "I am so eager to rid of you."

* * *

We had reached the mall by now, as we were about to enter. Before we could, we saw a brown haired girl, her hair tied in two ponytails. She was wearing a red Tee and grey shorts. She had brown eyes and was nearly ten years. "SHANE! I was searching you!" she yelled.

"Hey, sis! Wanna meet my new friends?" Shane teased. The girl was Sally, Shane's elder sister.

She glanced towards us and squealed, "These two boys are _so hot!"_ Obviously, referring to the two boys of our team. She rushed towards the 'hot guys', while pushing us away from them and wrapped her both hands around each of them. "Woah!' I stumbled, but balanced myself. Geez!

Shane boasted, "They are my friends, Gash and Ary!" We sweatdropped. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder as he knew he had to be alert. He came and perched on my shoulder and Piplup also climbed on head from my arms. "Pika."

"It's Gary and Ash," Gary corrected him.

"Whatever." He waved him off.

Leaf cleared her throat. "Acknowledgement would've been nice, you know?"

"Oh! Hey, Leaf and Dawn," she replied, but turned her attention back to the boys.

"How _rude!_ Before, she was so nice to us!" Leaf narrowed her eyes.

"I know, right? Only because boys are there she is ignoring us. I can't believe it!"

"Pika-chu!" The rodent started to laugh at his trainer.

And Piplup looked in the same condition as Pikachu, "Piplup!"

Gary sweatdropped. "You are just like Shane."

Ash replied, "Remember? They are siblings?"

"Oh, _yeah._ Right..."

 _If I got locked away_  
 _And we lost it all today_  
 _Tell me honestly would you still love me the same?~_  
 _If I showed you my flaws_

I felt my phone vibrate, so I took out my mobile from the back pocket and looked at caller ID: Jerry. I swiped my finger to the right from green calling button. Even Pikachu and Piplup looked at the mobile.

" _Hello!"_ said Jerry's voice. I kept the phone on speaker as Leaf also should hear the conversation. Ash and Gary couldn't hear as they were too far from us.

We replied, "Hey!"

" _We got the info of where your next destination is. It is in Solaceon town, it is going to exhibit the statue of Dialga."_

Leaf raised an eyebrow. "I thought Dialga and Palkia are always together? Why is it only exhibiting Dialga?"

 _"'It's_ _because of this crime going on, they said they will present Palkia in another city."_ We nodded. " _Good luck, ladies. By the way, where are the boys?"_

We rolled our eyes, and I turned the camera to them. "They have a very important business."

 _"They both are flirting with a small girl?! Tell them that they can feel free to flirt with any girl they see if they want to leave the assigned job. I knew from the start that you girls are the ones who do most of the work, these boys are useless. Anyways, keep it up, girls, and good luck with the mission. If they do this kind of thing ever again then please do inform me._ " He hung up.

We both smirked, evilly. Ha, ha, ha, now they are busted! We went towards them. I sweetly asked, "Are you both done with your work?"

Gary turned to us and groaned. "This girl is flirting with us, _continuously!"_

"But you love girls _flirting_ with you, right?" Leaf teased.

"But not a _small_ girl!" We high-fived.

"Please, help!" He pleaded.

"Anyway, Jerry called us and informed us about the next target. And even he left a message for both of you," I said them as I took out my mobile.

I played the audio. I had recorded the conversation while talking. What do you expect from an extremely experienced officer?

 _"They both are flirting with a small girl?! Tell them, they can feel free to flirt with any girl they see if they want to leave the assigned job. I knew from the start that you girls are the ones who do most of the work, these boys are useless. Anyways, keep it up, girls, and good luck with the mission. If they do this kind of thing ever again then please do inform me."_

Wewere smirking so much than usual! I glanced at those two, whose jaws had dropped and eyes had widened.

Even Pikachu was smirking as he knew that Ash was very much embarrassed. "Pika-pi!"

"You guys said something about us, didn't you?" Gary growled.

Ash muttered, "I seriously believe now...that girls are the _most_ evil ple on the Earth. And I can't believe even Pikachu was in this."

Leaf and I laughed along with Pikachu and Piplup. We both went to the boys. I put my right arm on Ash's left shoulder and questioned, "Do you need some help?" He nodded. I shook my head and said to the girl, "You know, I saw a very cute and the most handsome boy of your age, entering the shopping mall. He is more charming than these two,"

"Really?!" she asked with excitement as I nodded my head. She happily skipped away from theses two and rushed in the mall. I sighed.

Gary blinked. "I didn't know girls were like this! Wow, they can leave any guy they like for someone better than him? I am surprised."

Piplup was laughing at him, which earned him a glare from the brown spiky haired guy. He laughed nervously. "Pip..."

Ash asked, "So, where do we have to go next?" Pikachu jumped from my shoulder to his. "Chu!"

"Solaceon Town, it is presenting the statue of a Palkia," Leaf replied. Ash and Gary nodded their heads at her

"Now, off to Solaceon Town!" I pumped up my fist.

* * *

 _ **That's a wrap! I am sure you all weren't that happy with this one... I hope you'll consider this as a humourous one and let it slide...**_

 _ **Even I feel angry that this chapter had to come out when I was to receive my 100th review! I can't even jumble other chapters! And I know that I have made you wait for so long and updated such a chapter... I am really sorry! I hope I can make up for this in the next chapter! I have written it already, but very long back...I don't remember much about it...but, I hope you all can deal with it!**_

 ** _Anyway, the next chapter will be dedicated to the 100 and 101th reviewer! Whoever, it is...may it be a guest or a regular reader...it will be released in your name! Thanks a million to all of those who reviewed this story up until, now._**

 ** _I promise that I'll release the next chapter in the coming week or two! I promise!_**

 ** _Anyway, you know I am thinking to release one new high school PEARLSHIPPING story...it will be an extreme romance, emotional and funny one...I hope I can publish it before the next chapter comes out! Stay tuned for it! ; )_**

 ** _Okay, so... review, favourite and follow! : )_**


	9. Problems

_**I'm back with a new chapter, again!**_

 _ **I didn't make you wait this time, long, right? It's the first time I updated two chapters in a month! Seriously! I'm so glad that I got the time to upload this chapter! ; D**_

 _ **Eeeeee! *squeals* I got 100+ reviews! I can't believe and because of that I was able to update it quicker than usual! I'm so ecstatic, right now! Wohoo!**_

 _ **And sorry, I had said that I'd write a new high school fic and publish it but...I didn't even start writing it. So, yeah...but, I promise it'll be out by next month! Really!**_

 _ **Anyway, since I promises that I'd dedicate this chapter to the 100th and 101th reviewer...here it is.**_

 _ ****This Chapter 9 of The Double, The Trouble is dedicated** **MacroTaleLove and  DarkestLightOfHope! Thanks a bunch!****_

 _ **I would like to thanks my beta-reader; SelfieswithSprinkles for correcting and pointing out my mistakes! She is really taught me so much! ; )**_

 ** _Thanks to all the guests and the signed in reviewers for your opinions! I hope you keep reading this story and enjoy it till the end!_**

 ** _Start reading..._**

* * *

 _ **Chapter -9**_

 ** _Problems_**

We were still in the Pokémon center of Sandgem City, Leaf and I sharing one room and Ash and Gary another. I was right now in my room with Leaf, who was in the bathroom.

I had just taken my turn to bath, and it was our time to sleep. I was in my night dress. It was nearly 9:30. I yawned; I felt so damn sleepy! I stood in front of the mirror, combed my hair and jumped on my bed. I was lying on my stomach on the bed with my face on the pillow. Piplup was already asleep on the bed and drooling slightly. I smiled and buried my face into the pillow.

I heard the door open. Leaf had exited the bathroom and now sat down in front of the mirror, combing her hair smoothly.

After some time, she came and sat on the bed next to me. I rolled over my right and now I could see Leaf's face clearly. She was dressed in mint green shirt and PJ's with many leaves drawn on it and a Leafeon design on the corner of her shirt.

I started, "Hey, Leaf, you know I want to tell you something which happened at the time when we were staying in the Hotel rooms?"

Her eyes widened. "What?! You mean, you both...?" she trailed, shock evident in her voice.

I blushed and waved my hands, "No! It's _nothing_ like that! Geez, how can you jump on conclusions like _these?!"_ She sighed.

"I got _worried_ for a split second, you know? Anyway, tell me that 'something'," she said with air quotes.

"Okay, remember the day when we found out about the Giratina being displayed?" She nodded and I continued, "That night, I was reading the info about him with my glasses. Ash came out of the bathroom and saw me with my specs...Then, while sleeping, he _complimented_ me!" I squealed with delightment.

Leaf looked appalled, she blinked and asked, "What?! _Ash Ketchum_ complimented you?"

I nodded. "I had the exact reaction! Even I was in utter amazement that he praised me!"

"What were his exact words?"I

"He said, 'These glasses suits you well' or something like that!" I mimicked him with a bold voice, like a boy's.

Leaf put her fingers on her chin and looked as if she was thinking about something very deeply. She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it.

I asked, "What is it that you wanna tell?"

She waved it off, saying, "Nah, it's nothing. I am so tired, let's go to sleep."

I pulled the blanket over myself and saw Leaf do the same. I set an alarm on my mobile and whispered, "Good night!" I switched off the lights.

"Good night to you, too!"

I wrapped my arms around Piplup tightly and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, Dawn!" I heard someone shout, I guess Leaf.

I muttered, "...Let me sleep for some more time." I covered my face with the blanket. I felt Piplup still lying beside me. I proceeded to sleep again.

"Dawn! Wake up! It's seven o'clock in the morning!" she yelled, and pulled my blanket away from me. Piplup and I both groaned and sat up, rubbing our eyes. My eyes were drooping and felt like I could sleep even while sitting.

I murmured, "It's only _seven,_ not a big deal..."

Leaf must have heard me because she replied to that with a, "It is a big deal. Ash and Gary are waiting for us in the hall."

I laid back again on the bed and lazily answered back, "You go alone, it's not like they are particularly waiting for me, anyway." I pulled the blanket over myself again and pulled Piplup, too.

"Ok, fine!" she said. I heard the sound of a door closing, so I assume she went out of the room. Now, I could finally sleep! I closed eyes and started dreaming about sleeping.

Just then, I heard a splash sound and I could feel something wet trickling down my body...

I sprang up and sat, I felt water dripping from my hair! Now, I was wide awake...I cleaned my face with my hand and looked up. I saw Leaf, Gary, Pikachu and Ash laughing at me, though, Ash wasn't laughing but chuckling slightly. I glanced at Piplup and even he was soaked. I felt both angry and frustrated.

"What the hell, guys?!"

Leaf bit her tongue. "At least, now you are wide awake!" She started laughing again.

Gary joined her and said between his laughs, "You look so hilarious, Dawny!"

I groaned, "Why do I have to be the one?!" I pursed my lips and threw a pillow at Leaf. And, bingo! It hit her!

She squeaked, "Hey!" I took one more pillow and directed it towards Gary and it hit him! He fell on Leaf's bed on his back. Ha!

I blew my front lock and praised myself. "I am so good at aiming." I thought of throwing one at Ash, too, but he would probably dodge it. So, I decided against it. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

I turned to my little penguin. "C'mon Piplup, let's have you dried first, then I can go and have a bath."

He nodded. "Piplup..."

I picked him and walked to my bag, in which a towel was packed. I took it out and rubbed it against his skin to dry him. Suddenly, I heard some chuckles and laughs. I turned around and asked, "What?"

Ash pointed his finger to my head. I looked myself in the mirror and let out a frustrated groan. "Urgh! What's so funny?! You can expect this kind of hairstyle from _every_ girl who _just_ woke up from her sleep!" My hair was pointed out in several different directions. Gah!

Leaf retorted, "But my hair is not like that when _I_ wake up!"

I stomped my foot and walked in the bathroom. I forgot to bring my clothes! I walked out again, they all watched with playful looks and eyebrows raised. I took my usual clothes and raised it up to show them that I came to take my clothes.

I entered the bathroom and opened the water in the bath tub. I brushed my teeth clean and rinsed. It was time for a hot bath!

I came out of the bathroom, feeling all my frustration, anger and stress wipe away. I felt fresh! I took in the deep breath and saw Piplup sitting on the bed. He was probably waiting for me. The other three had, maybe, gone down to have breakfast.

"Hey, Piplup, wanna have a healthy breakfast?" I pumped up fist.

He nodded. "Piplup!" He jumped in my arms. I was dressed in my uniform, which I usually wear. I quickly took my mobile, which was kept on the dressing table and I also saw a small paper… It might not be that important, so I ignored it. I stepped out of the room and locked it. We made our way to the cafeteria.

I switched on my mobile and typed the password. I checked to see whether there were any messages or not. I scrolled down and saw...one from an unknown number? I quickly clicked it to see that it was some kind of poem.

 ** _Unknown Number._**

 _The day you came into my life_  
 _everything changed;_  
 _you brought happiness,_  
 _you brought hope,_

 _you brought contentment. ~ 09:01 a.m_.

"Piplup?" He looked up and asked, probably concerned about why I was frowning.

I said, feeling strange, "It's just that... someone texted me a love poem..." I sighed.

Piplup eyes widened angrily. "Piplup..pip, Piplup!"

I pet him with my right hand, which also had my mobile. "Yeah, you're right, no need to worry! Someone will send me, soon!" He grinned. By this time, we had reached the cafeteria. I looked around and saw no one. What?!

"Piplup?" He looked confused, wondering the same thing as me. I quickly selected Leaf's contact and called her. It was ringing...

 _"Hey, Dawn! Where are you?! We are waiting for you! Because of you, we still didn't eat our breakfast!"_ I had to move the mobile away from my ear because of her sudden outburst.

I asked, "Where are you guys?"

She laughed, "You are in the cafeteria?"

"Yeah...?"

 _"I knew it! See Gary, I won!"_ They put a bet on me? Just then, I heard Gary's voice. _"Seriously, Dawn? I didn't know you were this dumb!"_

I said defensively, "Hey! What do you exactly mean by that?"

 _"You meet us in the backyard! Immediately!"_ She had shouted the last word. I cringed and muttered, "Geez, talk about high pitch."

I sighed, "Piplup, we have to head to the backyard."

As we were on our way to the backyard, I bumped with someone. "Woah!" I stumbled back, but balanced myself quickly. I glared at that person and it was a brown haired guy, maybe about Ash or Gary's age, he had brown eyes and fair skin. He was dressed in casual loose white Tee and grey baggy pants with brown sneakers.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, clumsy fellow!" that brown haired guy yelled as he rubbed his chest and walked away. He was taller than me...

My jaw dropped and I shouted, _"You_ watch where you're going, idiot!" I hated his attitude! He was even more worse than Ash! Wait...he _can't_ be worse than Ash. Because Ash is the _worst!_

"Piplup!" my penguin yelled.

"Humph!" I frowned. "C'mon, Piplup, let's go to the backyard." I turned back on my heels and made my way to the backyard. I don't understand...how eating food and...the backyard are related? We were there in no time and found Ash and Gary sitting on one of the chairs near the dining table there and Leaf playing with Pikachu. Oh, yes...I forgot that there were dining benches even in the backyard.

"Hi!" I waved to them, along with Piplup. "Piplup!"

"Hey, Dawn and Piplup!" Leaf greeted us. I finally took notice of their outfits. Leaf was wearing a white sleeveless Tee, blue mini skirt and her boots. She had her hair opened. I gotta compliment her for her choice.

Gary was wearing a grey sleeveless Tee, similar to that of a footballer's one, brown shabby pants and his sports shoes. He looked nice.

Ash was dressed in a red and black vest and blue jeans. He had his sneakers on. He looked kinda handsome, I couldn't help the blush which crept on my cheeks. Oh, c'mon, I am a girl, and at that, a single one!

I went and took a seat between Ash and Gary, which was the only free seat, but they were pretty far away from each other. Leaf sat next Gary and had Pikachu on her lap. She was petting him lightly, which made him happy. "Hey, Leaf, this outfit looks good on you! You can impress any guy with that fashion sense!" I winked.

"Thank you! But we all wore casual dress, why did you dress up in the uniform?" Leaf pointed out.

I gave her a puzzled look. "I should be the one asking you a question! Aren't we supposed to leave today for Solaceon Town?"

Gary laughed. "See? Leaf was right, you are really hopeless!"

I tilted my head, looking confused. "What are you both talking about? And what was it about losing and stuff?"

Ash intervened. "They both put a bet whether you read the note kept beside your mobile, and Leaf won, _as_ you didn't see the note. But... _seriously?"_ He raised an eyebrow, irritated, annoyed, and disbelieving.

I pursed my lips, "I saw that, but...I thought it wasn't important, so..."

Leaf and Gary laughed. I pouted.

Gary, after having a hard time controlling his laughter, reminded, "Let's have our breakfast!" We all agreed and called the waiter.

"I willl have a grilled cheese sandwich and a chocolate fudge!" I ordered.

Leaf glanced and at the menu and said, "I would like to have French toast and iced tea!"

Gary said, "Waffles and coffee!"

"Hamburger and Cappuccino," he replied plainly. "And yeah, bring some Pokémon food for our Pokémon."

The waiter bowed and went off. We all let out our Pokémon. Leaf has a very close bond with her Chikorita and Gary had the same relationship with his Umbreon. They were just like Piplup to me and Pikachu to Ash. They never kept their Pokémon out like us because they thought they felt comfortable in their Pokéball, but whenever they were lonely, they let them out.

But...who knows what the Pokémon thinks about being caged in the Poké Balls...? If I had the ability, then I surely would have asked them! Maybe, I should advise Gary and Leaf to let their Pokémon be freed like Piplup? Yes, I should do that.

"Anyway, why aren't we heading to Solaceon Town, today?" I wondered.

Leaf was the one who replied. "Cuz today is the last day to buy tickets for the show and we can get those only in this city."

That made sense. "But from what time does the ticket counter open and close? And where is that counter?"

"At the Pokémon center, from Nurse Joy. The ticket selling starts from twelve to five and unfortunately, as it's last day, we have to be extra careful," Gary answered as he leaned back on the chair.

Just then, the waiter came with our meals and placed them on the table in front of us. The Pokémon jumped down to eat their food. We ate our breakfast in silence, for there were no topics to discuss.

After finishing we just sat there, doing some business of our own. Just then, I heard someone shout Leaf's name. I looked up and saw her walk to that guy. I couldn't see his face, you see, they were standing far away and their faces were blurred for me. I guess I should carry my specs in my pocket.

Leaf hugged whoever that boy was, and linked her arms with him. As soon as she did that, by instinct, I turned my head to look at Gary. And his eyebrow was twitching. Oh, man, don't tell me he is _jealous,_ again! I sighed.

By the time, Piplup had jumped on my lap. I was still staring at Gary. But was snapped out of it by Leaf.

"Guys! Meet my old friend!" She flashed a smile. As soon as I turned my head to see that guy's face, I was in utter shock. It was the same guy I bumped into!

"Guys, this is Red! Red-" she was interrupted by that guy.

He smirked. _"Ash Ketchum._ It's been a long time, isn't it?"

Ash didn't bother lifting his head, he just raised his eyebrows and eyeballs. Pikachu growled and glared at him. Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

Leaf had a completely blank expression on her face. "Do you both know each other?"

The guy, Red, gritted his teeth. "You can say, _more_ than know each other."

After some processing, in an instant, I shot up on my feet. I pointed my bony finger accusingly at him. _"You?!"_

"Piplup?!"

Leaf looked confused. "Dawn, this is my friend, Red! And Red, you remember, I told you about my best friend? Yeah, this is that Dawn."

He scratched the back of his head and extended a hand towards me. "Um, I am sorry about earlier? I didn't know you were Leaf's best friend! Then I swear, I wouldn't have done anything of that sort! I am _extremely_ sorry! Please?" Wow. What a change of demeanor.

I hesitated. "Even, if I _wasn't_ Leaf's friend, you shouldn't have said those words..."

I could see all the other three giving confused glances. Red looked hopefully at me. "I promise I wouldn't do that ever again!"

I thought a bit more and decided to forgive him. Though Piplup didn't look convinced with that, I decided to give in. I smiled and shook my hands with him.

And the next thing I knew was Red's lips were almost… almost touching the back of my palm. I was completely flustered and turned crimson. Just then, I felt someone grab my palm away from his and I turned my head to see it was Ash who held my hand.

"Don't try to get chanced with _every_ girl you meet. Stop being a flatterer."

Red growled in response and turned to Leaf. "It's none of your business to speak in _my_ matters."

Leaf gave me a look asking whether I was okay or not and what was all that about. I signalled her that I would tell her later. She nodded and went to introduce him to Gary.

I turned to Ash and realized that he was still holding my hand. But, I somehow felt...good! And when he released it, I resisted the urge to frown.

We both sat down on the chairs, I released Piplup to go and play with others and he did the same with Pikachu.

"What _was_ that all about?"

I heard Ash question and answered him what happened on my way here. But a question posed in my mind. "Anyway, did you both know each other from before?"

He shrugged and crossed his arms. "Yeah, we know each other very well... because...we are actually cousins."

"What...? Wait a sec! What is his surname?" I stared at him wide-eyed.

"Ketchum, Red Ketchum."

Oh, that's the reason their arrogance level is almost same...I didn't know it was in their _blood!_ "But, why don't you both get along well? I mean, didn't you know him since childhood?"

Ash replied, "Yeah, but his pride and flirtatious behaviour pisses me off. And yes, he was like that."

"Oh, c'mon, you're lying. No _child_ in this world flirts since childhood, they don't have that much of a brain to understand the _difference_ between a boy and a girl." I waved my hand.

"Hmm, point. When we were kids, we did not get along well because we kinda had a competitive tension around us. We got into fights, arguments and many more which is none of your concern." Humph. He didn't need to say the last words. Forget it. Who cared?

Suddenly, I turned around my face and saw Gary being introduced to Red by the one and only, Leaf. I couldn't make out the words spoken by them. But, it was obvious that he had given one of his grumpy reply when Red asked for a handshake! Ha! Very well done, brunette!

Just then, Leaf and Red walked to a bit distance and started to talk. I then glanced at Gary, who was crushing the paper cup in his palm so hard, that it broke in no time. But was still in his hold. I was curious to know what made him this angry and I followed his gaze. Oh...so this was the matter, huh? Leaf was giggling and getting all too cozy with Red.

I rested my palms under my chin. I sighed, dreamily and smiled. Love, huh?

I was interrupted by Ash's masculine voice. "What are you smiling for?"

I sighed, again. I motioned him with my eyes towards Gary and he followed. I started, "Love is what he feels for Leaf...but right now he is experiencing jealousy, a factor of love, which is caused by love and felt by lovers...love means a strong feeling of affection for...someone very special...but that one word involves many levels, like, jealousy when someone gets in the way, anger at each other, fear of losing, arguments and many sorts of these things...love is really an extremely complicated feeling, in my point of view, at least." **(1)**

I realized what I said was just the thoughts that were running through my mind. But hold on...did I say all that stuff in front of Ash?! Oh, crap! He might think I am a cheesy girl! What have I done?!

My eye twitched in fear as I turned to look at Ash's expression and he was staring at me with an expression, which looked like he was processing whatever I said. I immediately, turned away.

"I guess, I can agree with you for this one." What...I snapped my head in his direction and saw he was smiling. Oh, boy, that smile was what I had been wanting to see...I am not going go deny it that his smile is the most charming I have ever seen. He continued, "Yeah, Love is very complicated. I honestly feel that."

I smiled and mentally sighed, at least he didn't comment-

"But, damn, I didn't know you could say such cheesy crap." There it was. The comment which I which was preparing myself for.

I nervously replied, "Uh...that was...um...just something which I read in a...uh...book? That's right, a _romantic_ novel! Wait, I don't read love stories...but it was there in some spy books! It's not like I read that fluff or...think-"

I was cut short by Ash. "Can't you stop talking at once? Geez, I already said that I can't handle such noise, didn't I? And stop ranting whatever comes to your mind."

Again. Third time. In the day. Insulted by him. Wow. Excellent, Ms. Dawn Berlitz. Very good. I wish I were dead because I can't live with his insults! I-

"Guys, a problem!" Red shouted, as he ran his way here. He stood in front of our table, and started panting.

I said, "Take a deep breath." I saw Ash glare at me. What? He can't tell me not to be concerned about someone!

He was still breathing heavily but, said anyway, "Leaf...Leaf..."

"Yeah, what about Leaf?" I questioned. Even Gary came rushing here, he went away from the tables to fresh his mind. Ash held an expression of concern and attention.

"Leaf is missing!"

* * *

 _ **Now, that's a wrap.**_

 ** _Ah, you know, what? I was watching Rise Of The Guardians, for the first time (yes, I hadn't watched it until yesterday) And...now... I'M A BIG FAN OF JACK FROST...! He is too cool! I couldn't control the hearts forming in my eyes! Ahhh, he's my latest crush, now... *sighs dreamily* Don't ya all think so, too?! His hair is just too perfect..._**

 ** _(1) That definition of love was completely written by me..and when I was done with it..I was like, did I write all this..? I had completely clueless expression! So, you guys can laugh all you want because I laughed at it, for sure!_**

 ** _Anyway, guys...I needed some help with a Pokémon battle...not a contest one. It should one heck of a battle just like one between Ash and Paul... I wanna write between Ash and Dawn.. do you think any of you can help me write it? I'm seriously no good with Pokémon battles! It will be a six on six. Please, do help me and recommend if you know someone who writes awesome battles!_**

 ** _And the fans of contestshipping...that couple will make an entry in, maybe, the thirteenth or the fourteenth one..._**

 ** _Thanks a lot to everyone who read and reviewed! Keep reading!_**


	10. We To The Rescue!

_**Um...hey?**_

 _ **I know, I'm in no position to be saying 'hey' like an idiot, after promising that I'd update sooner...Sorry for being such a horrible author! But...you know, what? My life just never fails go leave me workless, you know!**_

 ** _I was planning to update a week ago but, I was literally busy like hell! I was so engrossed in coming back to India and all that journey, that I had completely no time to focus on this chapter! And after returning to India, my life got even busier! My new academic session of eleventh grade started, just a week ago and guess, what? I returned home at seven in the evening and I literally have no time for my story! And I've got hell lot of things to study! And I have to write weekly exams, which is even more tiring! But...I edited all this chapter on my journey to home from the school, you know? While sitting in the car, I just take out my mobile and start typing it! I'm almost done typing the entire story, so that I won't have to worry about it, later in my two months summer vacation...but, I kinda really felt bad that the story has ended...well, it had to at some point, anyway. : /_**

 ** _Once again, sorry for the inconvenience!_**

 _ **Hahaha, sounds a little too formal, right? ; P**_

 _ ***Grins* I really hope that the next chapter shall come out in the first week of next month...since, it's done...I don't have to worry about it but the only thing is that I'll have to get it beta-read. But, she's really nice! She gives me quick responses and I'm really grateful to 'SelfiesWithSprinkles' for Beta-reading these chapters! ; )**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks to all of those who reviewed The Double, The Trouble! I'm really grateful to all of you! I hope you all keep reading and enjoy this little story (not literally little). I really hope that you keep up that kind of enthusiasm till the end of this story! Thanks, again!**_

 ** _Well, I have kept you all waiting for so long, already and...this author's note might've been keeping you even longer, right? So, I'll let you all read, first and then, continue my blabbering... Just kidding!_**

 ** _You shall begin! ; P_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 10_**

 ** _We To The Rescue!_**

"Leaf is missing!"

What?! Leaf was...missing?! How in the world did that even happen?! My eyes widened as I frowned, deeply concerned about my best friend.

As soon as those three words were said by Red, Gary grabbed his collar and pushed him, back, quite roughly.

"What the hell did _you_ do to Leaf?!" He yelled on top of his lungs, eyes fired up with rage.

Red, yelled back, too, "I didn't do anything, you fool! I came here to inform you all! And if you will let go then only I will be able to tell you what happened!" He tried to free Gary's hold but I guess...no luck. Ash stepped forward and tried his luck. He was able to pull Gary off him with a bit of Pikachu's help, but he was still angry. He jerked Ash, but Ash's grip was too strong, I suppose.

I quickly ran to Red and held him with Piplup. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, at least, I _think_ I am...but please tell your crazy friend to back off!" I cringed, he just had to yell the last words in my ears.

"Anyway, tell us what exactly happened," I told him. I really hope it isn't anything tragic... seriously.

"Pip-lup!" He chimed in, toppled on my hair.

He nodded, "We both went to an ice-cream stall to eat some, while we were eating it, I heard a cry of a Venonat and I told her to wait as I wanted to check. She nodded and stood while I went away to see whether was any hurt Pokémon or not, but found none. When I returned I didn't found Leaf anywhere close, I asked the nearby people and they informed that they didn't see her."

"A Venonat?" I muttered. I had a small guess who that could be...but I wasn't so sure of it.

Ash thought over it, "You mean to say, that when you went and searched for the hurt Venonat, you did _not_ find it, huh?" The brunette nodded.

Gary declared, "Let's go search for Leaf."

"Wait, Gary...do you even _know_ where she is? We need a clue, then only, we can move forward." I stopped him. I know he's worried about her and I am, too but I think it would be a little too reckless to take actions before thinking.

He snapped, "I don't care! She is somewhere and we are going to find her! I don't give a damn about these clues! If you all are so hesitant, then, _fine!_ I am going _alone!"_ I wasn't much affected by his sharpness but was a bit taken aback because he was yelling right in my ears. Damnit, my ears are in real danger today.

But.. I could understand his anger since...he treasures her so much... I mean, I am concerned about Leaf, too...I don't really want to think about a dangerous situations but...I guess, I can worry less about her...since, she is a talented cop...but, still! I can't stop myself from not being worried about her!

Then, I looked at Ash who spoke. "Okay, if you want to go...then you can go. Go, Gary, search for her. Where _will_ she be? In a forest? In a store room? In the criminal's base? I _wonder_ where. Search for her where ever you _think_ she can be," Ash said, sternly. Gary stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. Ash continued, "You can waste your whole day by chasing the places where she isn't or think calmly, collect clues and hunt for her. The choice is all yours, Gary."

Wow. What a great handling of the situation! He cornered Gary...hats off to you, Ash! I am impressed. I will tell him later, about this...he should know that I praise him!

Gary just pulled his hairs and sat down on a nearby chair, as he perfectly knew that Ash was right. He gritted his teeth, "Then, what _am_ I supposed to do?! We can't just sit hand on hand! We gotta do something!"

"Gary, do you think we are not worried? Even she is our friend and our partner...we are concerned about her, too. Let's use our brain and _not_ strength, alright?" I told him as I gave him a smile.

He sighed, looked up and returned a small, but genuine smile and nodded. "Yeah, you are right..."

We need only one lead...then, I'm sure that we'll be able to handle the rest...

Just then, we heard a beep. And it was from Gary's mobile, he quickly checked it and saw it was a notification. As I was standing next to him, I could see it.

 _Tracker #012 has been activated. Click here to know the further location._

After I read the note, I snapped my fingers, "Oh, yes! That's right! Leaf has activated her secret tracker, to inform us her location!" I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. We will find her in no time, now!

Gary's face brightened as soon as he heard it, he quickly clicked it and it was showing the tracker on the map.

"Yeah...exactly. Every officer has a secret tracker hidden in their accessories. Maybe, Leaf had that in mind and switched it on. I must say, she is pretty intelligent than you two," Ash remarked.

One of my veins popped up, as I glared at him. "You didn't have to say the last two words, you know? Also, we don't have to prove our intelligence to you and...we didn't get any chance to show our intelligence level...then how can you be so sure?"

"No...I think Gary is more intelligent than you, because I have seen some of his senses at times. But...I am not _so_ sure about you." He coughed.

I smirked, "Time will arrive, where you will be proved wrong because you don't even know me properly...so it's obvious for people to question your abilities. I don't mind it. Anyways, let's focus on Leaf for now."

Gary shouted in glee, "Guys, she is in the nearby forest! And the tracker isn't moving, which probably means that they are stopped in a place! Let's go." He quickly got up and we started following him. Then, I saw even Red coming along with us.

"Hey, Red, not to be rude, but why are _you_ coming?" I asked him.

He smiled, "Leaf is my friend, so I should come with you, too. And...it was my fault in the first place to put her in danger." That's nice... at least he is aware that he was responsible for her trouble.

I heard Gary mutter, "Yes, it was your fault." I am glad it was audible to me and Ash only. Damn, he had this _really_ bad commenting habit!

I smiled back. "It's good to care about friends, but it might be risky for you? I mean, it's not safe for you to come with us..." Yeah, what if something happened to him?

"I wouldn't be a good friend, if I didn't face a bit of danger to save her, right?" He grinned.

The smile was not ready leave my face, I kept my hand on his shoulder and cooed, "Aww, how sweet! I mean, you sure seem like a dependable and heroic guy, huh?"

"Also, if anything did happen to me... I'm sure you'll be there to protect me!" He winked at me as he said those words with such a charming smile.

I was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor, for a seconds and then, chuckled. "Red! You sure know how to use your charms!"

He grinned. "It would be a waste if I didn't know that!"

I punched his shoulder, lightly as I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Charming."

He laughed, as he poked my cheek, "You have seen just some of my miracles, the rest of those are sure to make you fall head over heels for me!"

"Oh, yeah? Then, why don't try that with the other girls?"

"They aren't as interesting as you!"

"Aah, flattering much, are we?"

"Flattering ladies is just a part of my charm!"

"Really? Then, why am I not affected by it?"

"Because you still haven't completely know me, properly..."

"Sorry, but, I'd-"

Ash interrupted, slightly irritated, "I thought we had to find Leaf, as soon as possible and rescue her? We have no time for such stupid topics. And Red, as for you coming with us, you can." Maybe he was frustrated watching both of us joke around? Damn, he sure is rude.

Red whispered to me, "Talk about being rude."

I chuckled, "No one would know that any better than me!"

* * *

We were now almost at the location where Leaf was taken. I heard a beep sound from my mobile, but ignored it. Piplup was a bit eager to see the message but I shrugged it off. Gary was taking the lead as he had the mobile, in which the location was shown.

"Please, be okay, Leaf." I heard Gary mutter to himself. Aww... He was so worried for her! It's the first time I had seen him get so worked up after a girl! I mean, he is seen worried about me but not actually this much!

We heard a female voice, "Why are we kidnapping this brat? Couldn't we take one of the hot boys among them?" We were not able to see the faces because if we peeked out our faces then they could spot us.

I whispered, "That voice seems familiar..."

Her question was replied by a male voice, "We are following orders, you fool! And why do you always think about boys?! Concentrate on the given task!" Woah, he seems really frustrated with that girl.

"Clay...dol!"

We decided to climb a bit up the hill and saw a blonde-haired guy and a blue-haired girl. When they turned their heads...

"...It's Trip and Miette!" I almost yelled, when Ash put his palm on my mouth.

He hissed, "Don't shout, idiot!"

Gary whispered, "Look, there's Leaf tied to the tree with the hand cuffs!" We could see Leaf, who was forcibly tied to the trunk of a tree with metal like clips around chest and legs; her hands were held together behind the trunk. It looked like she was trying to free herself, too. Ah... she doesn't look like she was hurt or anything...thank goodness!

Red half-yelled, "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" He was about to get up but was stopped by Ash.

Ash stopped him with his arm, "Stop, they are very smart...they might have kept some trap or something for us. We have to be careful."

We saw Trip walk off in the trees, leaving Miette all alone. An idea struck me as I turned to them, "Hey, Red? I have a favour to ask..."

"Yeah, go ahead!" I could see Ash's eyeing me curiously, giving me a look of 'what is that girl upto' but I didn't mind.

"Uh...could you please go and flirt with that blue-haired girl for some time...? Till we rescue Leaf from there?" I clasped my hands and looked at him, hopefully. That was the only way we can distract that woman!

"Uh...of course! As long as I can help saving Leaf, I will do anything!" He flashed a smile and I returned the smile.

"You're awesome! Thanks!" I exclaimed. He grinned at me and then, walked towards their direction.

I heard Gary murmur, "Do me a favour...go jump in the sea."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, I wish that would happen soon."

I wondered, "Why are you both against him? He is a cool guy! And you should be grateful that he is helping us...see!" I pointed to where he was, next to Miette. I continued, "Would any of _you_ two go there?"

Gary cringed, _"Gross!"_

Ash just shuddered, "It would be even _worse_ than having _you_ talk all day."

"I am gonna ignore what you said," I replied, bluntly.

"Now, let's go or else that Trip will come!" I narrowed my eyes at them. We ran there quickly, as Red kept Miette busy and had her back facing Leaf. He side glanced at us and I gave him a thumbs up. He smiled back. I looked around and wondered where her Venonat could be...

"Gary! Dawn and Ash!" She made sure she didn't shout.

Leaf's face brightened, we saw the blade in her hand. At least, she tried to open it but I guess...the metal was too strong. Gary hurriedly took the thin blade from her hand and inserted it in the lock. He tried to open it but it was a bit hard, I guess.

After a lot trying, he gave out an irritated sigh, "I forgot my belt, Dawn, give me your freeze discs." I handed him the laser wire cutter. He quickly threw them with care, to make sure Leaf was not hurt by it. And it worked, it broke the handcuffs and she finally free. He threw me those back, which I caught and placed them again on my belt. Leaf quickly hugged me and I hugged her back.

"Thank goodness that you're _alright,_ Leaf! I was so damn worried!" I exclaimed.

She giggled. "Now, do you realise how I feel when you do something dangerous, all yourself," she responded with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," I said as we pulled away. I saw Gary sighing a breath of relief, running a hand over his smooth chestnut hair. He had a small smile etched on his lips. I can really tell that he loves her...

Just then, I heard small whispers from Ash's side. "Pika-chu..."

"I feel it too, Pikachu." Suddenly, a punch was thrown at Ash and he quickly blocked it. I guess, that's what they both were talking about. It was Trip, who had tried to punch Ash, which resulted in a physical assault. They both were throwing kicks and punches in each other's direction but none of them were hit by it. Both of them were blocking the hits, _very_ perfectly.

"You cheat! Traitor! You lied to me! You flirted with me just as a part of your plan?! Damn you! I thought finally a hottie was getting into my trap but...geez!" Miette cried. Red stood there, unfazed by her reactions. He somehow had expected it, I guess. Though, I must say he is quite skillful at flirting with a girl, he doesn't like.

Trip gritted his teeth, "Learn to be more focused! Damn, why do I even have to work with you?! And where's Venonat?!"

The light blue-haired cocked her head, "Oh, yeah! Where is he?" The blonde slapped a hand over his head. _Wow. Talk about stupidity..._

Suddenly, we looked up to see her Venonat standing on of the branches of the tree and started using sleep powder on us.

Miette started laughing with her fingers on her mouth, "Aww, my _super smart,_ Veno! Very clever of you, ha! What do you say now, Trip?"

Gary alerted, "Guys, don't smell it!"

We all covered our noses and prevented ourselves from unconsciousness. All the smoke cleared. In that process, Trip had jumped off the other side and stood next to Miette. Just then, his mobile rang and he picked it up. We eyed him, curiously with raised eyebrows. "Yes, sir...the work's all done...yeah...okay..it's almost 6:10...alright, sir...we will come right away...alright...we will be there." He kept it back in his pocket and turned to this partner, "We have to go to the HQ, as our work is done."

She nodded and both of them vanished in thin air. What the...

"...Piplup?" He questioned, utterly confused.

"What the heck?! Why _were_ they even here...when they didn't want anything with us?!" Gary irritatingly questioned, more to himself as we were on our way back to the Pokémon Center.

Even Ash was confused, "Yeah, what _was_ their intention behind all this chaos?"

Red happily chirped, "Guys, now Leaf is back! That's what we all wanted, right?" Gary just made a face. _Ash and Gary should seriously learn some etiquettes..._

"Aw, you all got so worried for me! So sweet!" Leaf gushed and she hugged Red, tightly. He chuckled as he returned it. "Red, I'm so glad that you had come to my rescue!"

"It was really nothing! It was my fault you were kidnapped, so don't you think that was the best way to make up for it?" He smiled, still holding Leaf in his arms.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It was the result of me being a little silly!" She stuck out her tongue, sheepishly as she pulled away from him.

He teased her, "That's _so_ true. You're a lazy, stupid, clumsy-"

"Stop!" She pouted.

"You look really beautiful when you do that!" He said, flirtatiously.

"Aw, thank-"

Their happy and healthy conversation was interrupted by an arrogant voice, which happened to be Gary's. "When are you leaving, Red?"

Leaf, Red and I were shocked by his sudden rudeness. How the heck was he able to say all that without feeling any guilt?!

Then, all of a sudden, Red started laughing. "You sure are Ash's best friend!" I eyed Ash, from the corner of my eyes to see him rolling his eyes.

Since, I was standing next to Gary, I heard him murmur. "He's such a show-off, flaunting Leaf with his not-so-good charms. He's nothing when compared to me."

I coughed, "Gary, even you are _showing-off_ by saying that, you know?"

"It's not showing-off. It's my _pride_ of being such a handsome guy," he whispered, back with a tiny smirk on his face. I just shook my head at him, disbelievingly.

I decided to change the topic, as I smiled, "It's good to see you safe, Leaf!" Ash nodded with a smile, but it seemed like his mind was still preoccupied by that commotion which had happened.

Gary interjected, "Don't you think you are _forgetting_ someone important?"

Leaf asked, mischievously, "Who? I don't see anyone." She looked around, mockingly as if to spot someone.

"A hot brown haired boy with _extremely_ built up body is right in front of you! C'mon, I was the one who rescued you back there!" The brunette scoffed, pointing at himself.

"Oh, please, I was trying to do it myself...and I would have succeeded if I would've got some more time. You don't have to be so boastful about it! And...it was _Dawn's_ freeze discs who rescued me at the end!" She crossed her arms, hastily.

Red whispered to me, "Are they both always like this?" I nodded and he gave me a smile. Though, his first impression wasn't that of a good one but I'm starting to change my opinion of his. He is actually a nice guy!

After some argument between them, Gary became extremely annoyed by her and stopped talking to her. Finally, I decided to step in. I went next to Leaf and whispered in her ear, "Leaf, he is right! He was worried sick about you back then...and _he_ was the one who traced you. And, admit it, he saved you from those handcuffs. You should give him _some_ credit, too, you know?" She nodded, guiltily and went to Gary.

"Pip-lup!" He has to repeat whatever I say!

"Uh... Gary...I am sorry...I was just teasing you a bit? I know, you saved me back there...so thank you..and sorry?" Leaf hesitantly apologized.

Gary smirked, "Apology accepted. And can you repeat those two words in particular? I didn't _hear_ them clearly." Damn, he is one evil boy!

Leaf muttered, "Um..uh...thank you."

 _"Sorry?"_

"I said thank you, you fool!" Leaf yelled with her cheeks puffed up.

"Oh...okay, then, your welcome!" Gary yelled back, too. Suddenly, he hugged her, which caused her to be a bit shocked. And surprisingly, she returned the hug and whispered something in his ear, which made him smile. Uh...I guess, even they have their little talks!

I glanced at Ash, and looked as if he didn't see anything which happened just now...maybe he was still thinking about the recent events.

* * *

We finally reached the Pokémon center. Red bid us farewell as he had come to pay Leaf a visit and he had some important work. He was a great guy, apart from the first encounter...ahem...anyway, he will make a very good friend. I wonder why Ash doesn't get along with him, I mean, he's fine, isn't it? Aah, let it be. They have their own problems. Just then, I heard a 'ding' from my mobile. I decided to check my mobile phone and saw a reminder.

 _Remember to buy the tickets for the statue festival by 6!_

My eyes widened, "Darn it! Guys?!"

"Piplup!"

Ash frustratingly, asked, "What is it?!"

"We had to buy the tickets for the show by six! And it's...6:30, already!"

"Oh, shit!" Gary cursed.

Leaf questioned, "Guys, don't you think this is somehow... related to my kidnapping?"

"Pikachu?"

Ash snapped his fingers, "Exactly! Yeah, it is related! According to me, they might have not wanted us to buy the tickets for that show and the only way to do that was by...distracting us."

I continued, "And the only way was to harm someone among us. As Leaf was far away from the group and in more easy place, they abducted her! And the whole time passed by in rescuing Leaf, they took her in the middle of the forest and when we arrived there, they did nothing but just some small fight with Ash and then, both of them vanished just like that!"

"I can't believe it! We got fooled so easily!" Gary growled.

Leaf took a deep breath, "Now, nothing can be undone. Let's go and ask Nurse Joy, whether there are any tickets left?" We nodded.

We quickly ran to the Nurse and asked her whether she had any tickets left and she shook her head. Leaf pleaded, "Not at least one?"

"Sorry, dear, all of them are out of stock."

We all hung our heads down. Geez, what kind of officers are we? Who can't understand some small tricks of those criminals! Darn it!

 _'It's Rhonda from Sinnoh Now! Everyone alert! As you all know, that there is the statue of Dialga going to be displayed in the Solaceon Town and all the tickets are over! But...you all have one last chance to get four tickets, if you win the Contest! Let's see who is that lucky person to win! For more information, talk to the nearest Pokémon centers' Nurse Joys about it!'_

"Okay, so...who among us is a coordinator? And who has that ability to win?" Ash enquired.

Gary slapped my back, "Here she is, the one and only, Dawn! She is the only coordinator among us and I am sure she can win!"

Leaf nodded, "Yeah, she was a coordinator before her career as a spy, afterall!"

"Piplup!" He puffed up his chest, proudly.

Wohoo! Coordinating? Contest? Aw, brings back memories! I wonder how will I do now...maybe it will be better than before? I hope I am not rusted but I trust my Pokémon! Wow! I am so excited! I am sure my Pokémons will be double excited! Yay!

Hey, contests! Here I come!

"She?! I don't think she can even take part in the contests, let alone win it. Is there anyone else? Because, I think that she cannot gain victory in these contests, I know her Pokémon will do better but she...?! Forget it. I think we will have to loose this lucky chance."

I have only one question: why can't I _murder_ him?!

* * *

 _ **So...did you all enjoy it? I'm not really sure because this one didn't have many romantic scenes but it did have some comedic ones, though! Right?! **_

**_You know, I really loved at this concluding line! I was like seriously in love with that one particular dialogue! I was surprised when I realised that I had come up with that line! I really loved it! *hearts in eyes* It is giving off a completely irritated vibe, doesn't it?! I'm kinda like that, too! So, it's obvious I might love it!_**

 ** _And there was another reason for my this late update... I was actually attracted to another manga! It's name is 'ReLife' and it's just too awesome! It's kind of touching...though, it doesn't have any tragedy but it's based on life's cruelty! I strongly recommend you all to read that! Seriously, just give it a try! Pretty please! I'm sure you all will fall on love with it just like me! ; D_**

 ** _Also, were you expecting Dawn to take part in contests?! I bet you weren't! Look forward to know how Ash adds fuel on Dawn's blazing determination! I'm sure you'll be quite impressed with the next chapter! ; P_**

 ** _And, I was thinking of concentrating on the other stories but I've got no time on my hands. I'm really trying hard to come up with next chapters of the other stories... but , I'm still trying. Wish me luck for that!_**

 ** _You know, what? I'm so happy that I had finally published that high school story I had been wanting to write since I had started writing this story! I just wanted to tell those who reviewed a quick thanks since I don't know when I'll get that chapter, out next! Thanks to those people, too!_**

 ** _Anyway, thanks for the reviews, again! It keeps me motivated to keep updating, quicker! : D_**

 ** _Well, see ya! Read, review, favorite and follow! : P_**


	11. Let the training begin!

_**Hola, guys! *waves***_

 _ **Uh...yeah, I'm aware of the fact that I'm updating it really late, I mean, super-duper late! I've counter it just not that it's been exactly two months and four days! I really am guilty for it, too! So, it's alright, right? Hopefully, you all can forgive me! Sorry!**_

 _ **I was like super, super, super busy! I had my semester exams and I was like really busy preparing for it, I actually I studied most of it in the class. I don't really study much at home...no matter how much I try! But, when I come back from the school, I start reading the mangas and stuff. So, most of it was my fault. So, yeah~**_

 ** _Though, I had writing it already a month ago but taking out time to re-read it and transfer the files to the beta-reader is kinda a lot of work. So, it takes me really long to get that into action! I'm very lazy, so it takes a lot of motivation than required! : P_**

 ** _I'll stop my blabbering! And thank you a for your lovely reviews! Thanks, again! ; D_**

 ** _And I must give some credit to my beta-reader 'SelfieswithSprinkles', she really helps me a lot! I'm really grateful for all of her work! She has seriously made me improve more than before! Thanks! _**

**_So, here you go. Read it all you want! ; )_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter - 11**_

 ** _Let the training begin!_**

"Her?! I don't think she can even take part in the contests, let alone win one. Is there anyone else? Because I think that she can't win in these contests. I know her Pokémon will do better but she...?! Forget it. I think we will have to lose this lucky chance."

I have only one question: _why_ can't I murder him?!

"Oh, hello! Who are you to judge me?! As Leaf said, I was a Pokémon coordinator before I started working in the agency! I have won pretty much all of the contests! I was once the winner of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, too! Got it?!" I took heavy breaths, as I hadn't breathed at all while speaking.

"Pip, pip, piplup, pip, pip, Piplup!" Even my loyal supporter was in the same condition as me.

Ash folded his arms. "Do you both _ever_ stop talking?"

"Pika, pi..." Pikachu sweatdropped. He was trying to convince his master to not underestimate me. Ash should learn a thing or two from his Pokémon.

"Okay, fine. I will show you what I am made of. I will show you that disparaging me was a _very_ big mistake! And you will regret it. Just wait and watch," I huffed. Just what does he think of himself?!

He simply shrugged with a smirk, "Okay, then, let's see what this blueberry can do." What the heck?! A new nickname, _blueberry?_ Seriously?! Urgh.

I could see Gary and Leaf wearing a dumbfounded looks. Gary questioned, "What just happened...?"

Leaf regained her posture. "Ash, you shouldn't have said all that..."

That stupid boy walked away as if he wanted to ignore her. Geez-

My thoughts were interrupted by him. "Best of luck with it, Blueberry."

Oh… okay. That was sweet of him, but if I think about it some more... was he _mocking_ me?! Damn.

 _Calm down, Dawn. Calm down. Take deep breaths. Think about the contest not him._

Yeah, right. I have to go and work on my combinations. I turned to Piplup, "Let's get started!"

"Piplup!" He nodded, excited.

"If you need someone to practise with, then I am all ready, okay?" Leaf smiled.

I returned her smile and nodded. "Sure!"

Gary shrugged. "If you need anything you can ask me for my help!" I nodded. "But before that, you might want to sign in..." He reminded.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

"Then, let's go, Piplup!"

"Pip… lup!

* * *

I had signed in with the Nurse Joy and went in the training arena. I let out all of my Pokémon, who stood in a line in front of me. Now, I had choose some of them for the performance stage and the battling stage.

"Hmm," I said, thinking out loud, "Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Milotic, Typhlosion and Lucario, huh? First, we will practise on your moves and then finally I will decide who to choose. Are you all ready?!" I pumped up my fist.

They followed my actions and jumped up. They sure are excited!

"You go up first, Piplup. Use your Hydro Pump and twirl. Lets see how that goes..."

Piplup nodded, determined. He quickly took the stance and took a deep breath, before working on his move. He let out the pump of water from his mouth and stood on his toes as he twirled around on his feet. It was looking really good. It was looking as if a huge cyclone was arising from it's little beak and due to the sunlight, the water was shining. It made it seem like some diamonds were stuck in that water.

I did keep in mind that Piplup wasn't disappearing in that whole aqua pump. The water raised up making his body visible. It was really good to go!

"Good job, you can do it!" Just as I said that I could see him losing his balance and… he lost it. He fell on the ground with swirls in his eyes. I slapped my palm on my forehead.

 _This is going to be one long training session..._

* * *

We were almost complete with working on Piplup's twirling Hydro Pump. But it still needed more practise. Buneary did a pretty good job, Pachirisu did well if it wasn't for her to have fun, Milotic did awesome as always, Quilava needed some focusing, and Lucario… he still didn't want to train for the contest. I sighed. Such an attitude...

I went to the reception and handed all my pokeballs for the treatment. I made my way to the bedroom which I shared with Leaf, and noticed that along her there were Ash and Gary, too.

"Welcome back! You look pretty tired," Leaf greeted, brushing her Chikorita. Ash was sitting on the edge of Leaf's bed and Gary was seated on a chair, leaning his chest on the backrest.

I went to my bed and laid down. "I am beat! But, yeah, I enjoyed a lot today. Spending my whole day with my Pokémon was just… too… awesome!"

"Yeah, it's been too long since you trained with your Pokémon for a contest." She chuckled and then gave me a smile, which I gladly returned.

"Are you ready with your moves?" Gary questioned.

"Nope, not yet. There's still a lot more practising I need to do. When is the contest?" I wondered.

"The day after tomorrow, dummy," he replied.

"That means I have just one day for training," I whispered, still audible to everyone in the room.

"Dawn, how's Lucario doing?" Gary asked.

Leaf added, "Yeah, what about him?"

I sighed. "You see, he doesn't want to train for this contest, but… he did his training by himself in one corner away from where I was training the others. I tried calling him to join us, but...no good. He practically ignored me! I've got to admit, he's got a huge ego..." I laughed nervously.

Gary crossed his arms, "So, basically, he still doesn't want to participate in contests, huh?"

I nodded. I looked at Ash who was staring at us, listening to our conversation. He probably wouldn't have any idea what we are talking about. Ash still had his eyes set on the screen of his mobile."If he doesn't want to be a part of the contest, then why are you forcing him?"

"I am not _forcing_ him...he was the one who wanted join my team..."

"I am sure you will do it, Dawn!" Leaf gave a thumbs up.

I grinned. "Yeah, I know I can!"

"Guys, don't you think we should go for a dinner? Because I certainly think so," Gary suggested, raising his hand. We all laughed at his antics.

* * *

It was midnight and everyone was asleep. I glanced at Leaf, who looked so peaceful, and, making sure not to wake her up, I got up from the bed, wanting to get some fresh air. Piplup stirred up from his sleep, about to question where I was going, but I put my finger on his beak. "Shush, Leaf's still sleeping," I whispered. He nodded and followed me.

I stood in the training area and looked up at the sky. It looked so beautiful, and peaceful. I wish my life was like that… so calm and peaceful. But, I would be totally bored if it were like that… I wouldn't enjoy my adventures! Anyway, let's focus on some training. "Piplup?"

"Oh, yeah, you might be wondering what we are doing out here in the late night, right?" He nodded. "Actually, I didn't feel like sleeping. Piplup, do you mind doing a bit of training? We wouldn't wanna waste our time, would we?"

Piplup placed his flipper on his chest, "Piplup! Piplup, lup!" I knew he wouldn't deny!

"Okay, then. Piplup use your Hydro Pump and twirl!" I commanded. He followed my order and he really has improved… just a little more… and damnit! He fell. What is wrong with this move that it is not succeeding? And before I knew it, Lucario popped out of his Poké Ball. He understood what I was doing and stood beside me.

 _What's wrong… try to figure it out, Dawn! Maybe, the pressure of his Pump is very high… and he is not able to manage its weight… yeah, that might be!_

Poor Piplup. It's just too much for him! I looked at Piplup, he sprang up on his feet, determined to do it once again. I ran both the hands through my blue locks, and, with frustration, said, "No, Piplup. It's not possible for a move like that to be done by a light weighted Pokémon like you! Man, what's wrong with me?! If my old self was here, she would have thought of it before it went this far! I am such a crazy girl! I-"

"Yes, you are a crazy girl. Glad you finally admitted it."

I looked up to see Ash, who had interrupted me. He was in the same night clothes as before, a pair of brown three-fourth shorts, and a sleeveless white hoodie. He came and sat on the other end of the bench.

I didn't raise my head, but asked, "Why are _you_ here?"

"Personal reasons." He folded his arms behind his head and leaned back on the backrest. I rolled my eyes.

"Pip?" The blue penguin tilted his head in confusion, a glint of worry in his eyes.

I bowed my head down and said, "Piplup, I think I have lost all my passion for coordinating. I am not able to think straight! My motivation has _completely_ died..."

"Look, who's talking. The girl who once said to me, 'I hate it when people say three words. First, 'exhausted.' Second, 'give up.' And the third word, 'impossible.' And now you are the one to say them. Talk about hypocrisy."

My eyes widened. I didn't remember my own policy! It somehow seemed like he was trying to… cheer me up?

He continued, saying, "I knew it from the beginning that you can't do it. This is _why_ I refused to let you participate in this contest. We are gonna lose those tickets for sure. How useless can you get."

 _There he goes again. Never leaving a chance to insult me._

I balled up my fists and jerked to face his direction. "How can you be so sure?! I didn't give up yet, nor will I ever in the future! And I never said I was gonna lose this opportunity to show you my skills. My Pokémon and I will work even harder than before!" I yelled.

 _Dawn, you can do it!_

I glanced at Ash, who smirked in satisfaction. But… what was he satisfied with? Who knows. I petted Piplup and and Lucario with each of my hands. I smiled. "Piplup, now you don't have to practise that move. We will try something else, alright?" He nodded. "And Lucario, would you like to join?" He crossed his arms and turned the other way. "No? I guess you'll never change," I chuckled. I could feel a pair of eyes on me and instantly knew it was the person with whom I was sharing the bench.

He yawned. "I will be going, then." What's with him...

I couldn't help the tiny smile that crept onto my face. I pulled something out from my pocket and held it in my palm. It was my good luck charm. My mom's first contest ribbon, which she had given me when I was going for my first contest.

I could feel a newfound determination rush through me. It was like I was filled with it again!

With a smile, I turned to Piplup and Lucario. "Shall we go, too? We don't want to wake up late tomorrow, do we?" Piplup jumped in my arms, "Piplup!"

Lucario crossed his arms followed us.

* * *

The next morning was quite sunny. I had been awoken by my Pokémon, who didn't let me even have my breakfast properly. Who could stop their excitement? I just had come up with many more ideas!

"Piplup, use Water Pulse and Typhlosion, use Swift!" I ordered. As the Water Pulse was released, the stars were dashed into it. But the pulse was busted. I winced. Once, I saw my Pokémon staring at me with apologetic look. I quickly said, "Hey, no need to worry! We will try until we succeed!" Both of their faces brightened up. "Now, you both keep practising that." They nodded and continued.

"Piplup!"

"Ty...phlosion!"

"Now, Milotic, use Hydro Pump!" She followed my instruction. "Now, twirl, elegantly!"

Explanation time! You see, Milotic is quite a big Pokémon and she has the strength to manage the force of the Hydro Pump.

She jumped in the air and landed on the ground, while using the vortex of water. She threw that force of water in the upward direction. It made her entire body visible. Then, she twirled around with perfect elegance and royalty. Her beautiful body was shining along with the water, it made it seem like a mermaid dancing between the water.

"Alright!" I pumped up my fist, completely satisfied with it. "Very awesome, Milotic!" She bowed and tried it once more. I feel so proud!

"Buneary and Pachirisu, now, it's your turn! Pachirisu, use Sweet Kiss and Buneary, use Ice Beam!" The pink Sweet Kisses were perfectly frozen in the lumps of ice, floating in the air, since it's weight was quite less. "Pachirisu, discharge!" He sparked the electricity in the air and all of the frozen kisses sparkled brightly before bursting out, giving a perfect finishing move.

It worked perfectly! As I expected it to! "Very impressive! Both of you!" I cheered. "Excellent!" I clapped my hands as Buneary and Pachirisu jumped into my arms.

"Bun, bun!"

"Chipa!"

I looked around and saw Lucario, punching on the tree branch. I giggled, putting down the two on the ground and made my way there. I put my hands behind my back and leaned forward. "Hey, Lucario! You wanna practise some moves?"

"Luca..." He shook his head.

I whistled. "I was not asking for you to practise for the contest, but for your normal training. And if… you don't want to have it, then... fine." I turned around to walk away, but he caught my T-shirt. Ha! Hit on the right target. "Well, okay, then, try practicing Extreme Speed. You are still not perfect at it." He nodded as he got into a stance.

Lucario started with a binding speed, charging at a nearby tree and hit it with an abnormal amount of force, while jumping up high in the sky, making all the fruits of the tree to fall off and drop on the ground.

I sweatdropped. "You've already practised it, before I even I asked you, didn't you?" He just looked the other way with his as crossed.

I smiled and pet his head. "That's good."

It was almost dawn, I checked my watch and saw it was 6:30. "Man, time surely flies," I muttered. I shouted, "C'mon guys, it's time for a break!" They all hurried over to me. Pachirisu gave me those puppy eyes… how could I possibly refuse? "Alright, you all worked hard, so all of you deserve some poffins!"

I gave them all some and sat on the ground with my legs and arms crossed. I need to think of some more ideas for the contest...

"Dawn!" I turned my face to look at Leaf, who was making her way here. Once she was standing next to me, she took her chance to get some air.

"Is there something you need?" I asked.

"Nope. I wanted to spend some time with you! I wanted to see how you were training with you Pokémon. Also, you didn't have your breakfast properly, so I am here to have lunch with you." She grinned.

"Really? Where's Gary? Did he leave you or what!" I asked, suggestively.

Leaf crossed her arms and muttered, as she air-quoted, "Maybe flirting with other _'beautiful'_ girls, humph." I heard it, anyway. "But, why are you questioning me about his presence?"

"No reason. I was going to ask about Ash, too, you know?" I teased.

"Sure. He was talking to some on his mobile... I didn't really listen."

I nodded. "Oh."

Leaf started petting my Pokémon. "How's your training going?"

I grinned and showed a thumbs up. "Perfect." But Leaf looked a bit upset. I wonder why...

I stood up on my feet, unbuttoned my shirt, and wrapped it around my waist, revealing my grey, v-neck, sleeveless tee. I took out the hairband and retied my hair. In the process I asked, "Leaf, are you upset about Gary flirting with other girls?"

Leaf blushed, running her hands through the fluffy fur of Buneary. "It's just that, he's so...so... _frustrating_ at times. He compares me with his exes, and always complements them. It becomes so… irritating! I mean, one moment he is flirting with me and the other with someone else! I don't like his flirting but… I get so jealous when he treats other girls the same way! I _hate_ him so much for this!" She flailed her hands in the air and puffed her cheeks.

"You don't need to worry about that, dear. He has that kind of nature but… once he has a girlfriend… he won't do a thing like this."

"But I don't _like_ his playboy behavior!"

"Then, show him."

 _"What?"_

"Show him that you have some feelings towards him! He will get flustered like how he makes you. And no, don't even try to deny the fact that you have a romantic attraction towards him." She blushed, making me smile. I winked at her, cheekily. "No need to worry, I won't tell him about it."

"Okay, I admit that I do possess some kind of feeling for him," she mumbled. "You better not betray me… and how the heck am I supposed make him flustered!"

I winked again. "This will be our little secret. Just think over it, you will get it!"

"C'mon, Dawn! Give me some ideas!" she whined.

I gave her sheepish grin and rubbed the back of my head. "Actually, even I have no clue about it."

She whined, again, "I expected you to say something on this matter as well!"

I said defensively, "Hey! You should know better! You were in some relationships, after all!"

"Yeah, right. Who was I even asking that…," she muttered, but I had heard it, anyway, so I glared at her. She smiled before adding, "Alright. I will figure a way, but thanks for the help!" She quickly hugged me and ran back towards the Pokémon Center.

I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled, as I remembered something, "Hey, where's my lunch?!"

I sighed.

"So, she wasn't here to see my training, but to talk about this matter, huh?" I asked myself. "And yeah, saying about all that feeling and expressing thingy, I, myself am confused. Really, how was _I_ able to pull _that_ off?" I wondered. After a bit of thinking, "Ah, forget it. Might be the effects of watching television or… maybe I am just too _intelligent..."_ I pondered, before shrugging.

I yelled, "Let's get back to our session!"

* * *

I returned to the Pokémon Center and went in the dining area, where I saw all Leaf and everyone else sitting. I went over there and sat on a seat beside Gary, so I was face to face with Leaf and Ash was seated next to her. Pikachu was seated on the chair next to his master. "Hey, guys! What's up?!" I greeted enthusiastically.

Gary replied, _"Ceiling."_

I turned to him and gave him a look, "Ha, ha, very funny."

Gary smirked. "You did a hell lot of training, didn't you?"

"Yup! Why?"

Leaf replied instead of him. "Because you seem very energetic even after you did a whole day practise!"

I gave them a victory sign. "Ha, I didn't even feel like I was out for the whole day! To be frank, I am surprised myself!" I scratched my cheek, wearing a sassy grin.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Anyway, can we order the dinner already?"

I nodded. "Of course! My stomach is _rumbling!"_

Gary raised an eyebrow, "Didn't Leaf come to give you lunch in the evening? I had seen her go to you with my very own eyes."

"Yeah, she had come but she talked to me about something and then ran away, taking my _poor_ lunch with her!" I said, dramatically but with a teasing glint in my eyes. I looked at Leaf, who was signaling me not to tell anything, further.

"What _were_ you two talking about?" Gary asked, suspiciously.

Leaf waved her arms and said nervously, "N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" He shrugged. She decided to change the topic, and asked, "Where is Piplup?" I could see her feel more uncomfortable under Gary's suspicious stare.

"Duh, with the Nurse Joy," he said as of it was the most obvious thing. She nodded and quickly looked down.

We quickly ordered our food and ate it. I felt so happy when it arrived—actually, to be frank, I didn't even realise that I was this hungry at that time. Then, we all went to our respective rooms, after I took my Poké Ball and Piplup, of course. But it was too early to sleep, so we decided to go to Ash and Gary's room this time.

I was impressed. They didn't keep it neat or clean; it was a bit messy. Their blankets were added in the side but their bags were thrown on their beds and beside it, their clothes, towels and everything else was scattered. Heck, we didn't even have space to sit! Though, the floor was clean...

This really can be called a _boys'_ room!

Gary sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Uh… we don't mind any help?"

"You're hopeless!" Leaf and I shook our heads and started helping them out. Piplup and Pikachu went and sat on the chair.

As I was helping Ash clean his bed, I saw a half picture of him and Gary, along with a green haired guy. They all seemed almost of… maybe five to seven? I wonder who that guy is... but why do I get the feeling that I have seen him somewhere?

"You shouldn't go through someone else's stuff." I was surprised when that picture was snatched away from my hold. Ash, quickly took his bag and put that photograph back in it. Man, why _was_ he so secretive?!

Now, the room was all neat and tidy. At least, now we could sit somewhere. Gary wiped the bead of sweat that appeared on his forehead. "Now it looks really empty!"

Ash chuckled. "True."

"Oh, c'mon! At least, a small 'thanks' would be okay, you know?" I crossed my arms.

Leaf agreed. "Your room was just like a junk and now it's so clean, be grateful to us!"

Gary blinked. "Oh, yeah, thanks, girls! Love you!" Leaf blushed and looked away with puffed cheeks, to avoid him from seeing her embarrassed face.

"And where is yours, Ash?" I asked, patting my foot on the floor and arms still crossed. As he was seated on the bed and I was standing, he looked up and stared at me. I urged, _"Well?"_

"Oh, yes. Thanks a lot for your help, Leaf. I am really grateful for it." He smiled at the girl beside me.

The light haired brunette looked surprised but nonetheless replied, "Uh, you're welcome!"

It took a whole while for me to register his words. As soon as I realised what he had said, I stomped my foot and huffed, "How rude!"

He shrugged. I went next to Leaf and sat with her. I gritted my teeth. I will never, ever help that asshole again! Not even if he begs for it! Humph. Why does he do this every single time?! I hate him _so_ much for that!

I decided to ignore that stupid for the whole time I was in there. I only talked to Gary and Leaf. Even Ash ignored me! As if I give a damn about it. Dude, he needs to learn some more manners.

 _At_ _least, he could have have said just a simple 'thanks'! Damn you, Ash Ketchum._

 _Calm down, Dawn. Patience. Patience. Don't let him get you into your super angry mode. Tomorrow, is your a big day… one big contest… concentrate on that rather than him. Maybe, he is just testing your patience. No need to worry!_

 _Right,_ I thought. I took a deep breath. "Leaf, I am going to sleep. Goodnight, Gary." I smiled and he smiled back, too. I gritted my teeth and continued, "And to you, too, Ash. C'mon, Piplup."

I went out of the room and closed the door behind me, with Piplup on my head. I entered the bedroom and changed my clothes quickly. After that, I laid down on my bed, along with Piplup. I placed my hand over Piplup and wished him, "Goodnight."

He muttered, "Pip..."

 _Dawn, ignore Ash for now. You have to be in full attention, tomorrow. You can't possibly take his words to your heart! Pretend as if he is not there, alright? Stay focused on the match. Don't waste your time thinking about him. You have to proof him wrong by w_ _inning the contest!_

You're right. I should stay focused and determined. I will try to ignore him, though. Yes! Ash Ketchum, you are not worth thinking over!

I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU, KETCHUM!

* * *

 _ **What do you think? Ash's doing a perfect job of flaring Dawn, isn't he? He sure got her raging with fire! Sometimes, he himself makes her hate him...hahaha, I love him. And Dawn simply gets so worked up over nothing, right? She's so cute!**_

 _ **Anyway, I forgot to mention this but I really recommend you all to read "Last Game." It's an awesome manga! I don't really read mangas with poor drawing and loose plot, so you can trust me on this one! It's a complete manga! So, I think all the romance geeks should give it a try! It can really help you all to write your stories...it helped me! ; )**_

 _ **Oh, and since you all have seen that the next chapter will probably have a contest in it, so... do you think any of you can help me write it? Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, please?! Please! I do have the plan on how to take it but I'll write if I get just the slightest bit if idea! If anyone our there is good in it, then, please help me out with it!**_

 _ **And I'm planning to release a One-shot in the coming week so, stay tuned! I'll make it worth your wait! NostalgicMermaid might know what I'm talking about! ; P**_

 _ **Oh and sorry, twilightsparkle! I didn't read your review until recently, so I really wasn't able to update it on your birthday! Sorry! And belated happy birthday!**_

 _ **Also, y'know why I updated this chappie? I was kinda excited after I read the "Just Like a Fairytale's tenth chapters which was re-published by shadowkittyxX! So, I was kinda like even I should publish since it's been a while! So, I'm really excited that now she's back we can read her stories! And angelcutepie is back, too! So, I really hope many and many more updates! All the best to all the pearlshipper writers!**_

 ** _So...read, review, favourite and follow! ; P_**

 ** _Doodles!_**


	12. Shining on the stage!

**_Hey_ _!_**

 ** _I'm back with a brand new chappie! Tada! You weren't expecting this, were you? Were you? No, right? Even I wasn't but, I came up with it, surprisingly earlier than expected. So, there you go!_**

 ** _Actually, I was really engroseed in reading shoujo manga, these days...yeah, I'm the kind who loves shoujo mangas than some shounen... They are a lot more interesting than the latter. So, there's one manga which has just... brightened up my heart! I was like, "damn, why the heck is it so good?!" And I'm sure you all will feel the same way as well if you give it a try!_**

 ** _The name's "Hibi Chouchou" and I admit it's gotta be the best manga! If you read it once, I'm sure all of your hearts will melt down! It's just as smooth as that! It's really romantic and quite an unusual plot. I seriously suggest you guys to give it a try! ; )_**

 ** _I know, I might seem like an idiot to keep pressing you all to read mangas and disturb your life but, that's what I like...I mean, I want you all to enjoy reading it, too! Such pleasure you get after reading it, damn! I can't describe!_**

 _ **Anyway, you all can read the chapter, ahead! ; P**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 12_**

 ** _Shining on the stage!_**

I was awoken by the voice of my alarm. I removed the blanket covering my head and grimaced slightly at the bright sun rays entering the room through the windows. I sat upright as I yawned and stretched myself.

I looked around and saw that Leaf wasn't there. I rubbed my eyes and lazily took my mobile from the table. I typed in the password and switched off the alarm. I put it back at its place as I got up from the bed and sluggishly made my way to the bathroom.

I quickly brushed my teeth and took a hot bath. After that, I got rid of night dress and changed into a pair of short red knee-length leggings and a plain white sleeveless top. I tied my hair into a loose low ponytail. Piplup was already awake when I returned from the bathroom. I grabbed my mobile and placed it in my side pocket - these leggings had only one pocket on the right - and took the blue penguin in my arms, "Let's go and have our breakfast!" I said to him as I closed the door behind me and ran down the stairs.

I went in the food court and saw Ash, Leaf, and Gary sitting at one of the tables. How come they are always here earlier than me?! I went and took a seat next to Leaf. "Good morning!"

"Piplup!" Piplup happily chirped and went next to Pikachu.

The mouse rodent replied, "Pikachu!"

Leaf greeted back, "Morning, Dawn!" Gary and Ash nodded in response. You see, I was still angry with that imbecile, Ash! "What do you want for your breakfast? We already ordered ours and the Pokémon's."

I thought and then finally said, "I guess French toast will do!"

Gary called the waiter and ordered it. The meals arrived and we all ate it in no time. Then, I walked to the serving area and ordered a hot chocolate. The guy gave it to me pretty quickly and I paid him. I licked my lips as I dreamily gazed at the cup in my hands. I went to the group and sat in my previous seat. They all groaned, "Not again!"

I frowned, but it quickly wiped away as I slurped up the hot chocolate, feeling it's smooth taste and texture. Oh, my! After I finished drinking all of it, I wiped my lips and exclaimed, "This sure made my day!"

Ash scoffed, "You just needed a chance to eat chocolate."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who asked you? Humph." I can't possibly forgive him until he says both sorry and thank you. Leaf and Gary exchanged looks, knowing the reason behind my rude answer to him. I stole a glance at Ash, who seemed unfazed by it... damnit!

It was almost time for my contest. I stepped out of the dressing room in a simple purple sleeveless sundress, which had of a thin belt below the bust. I put on a matching pair of purple wedges. Leaf helped me tie my hair into a low ponytail with my bangs still on the side. It wasn't very fancy, so it looked pretty good.

Leaf exclaimed, "Dawn, you look very sweet!" She was dressed in a pink tank top with a leather jacket and blue jeans, wearing similar boots. She looked awesome in every dress!

I smiled, "Thank you! It feels so good to get dressed for contest after three years!"

I held Piplup in my arms and he chirped back in agreement, "Piplup!"

I saw Ash leaning on a nearby wall and Gary next to him in the same position. I could hear them talking about something, but it was inaudible to me. When they saw me, they stopped their conversation as Gary came to me hang his arm over my shoulder. "Does it feel good to be back?"

"You talk about feeling good? I say, amazing!" I winked.

He laughed. "Sure. Anyway, you look good in this attire! But, I can't believe you dressed like this, so simple! Remember, back then you used to wear such fancy dresses!"

I blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, c'mon! That was because I was a kid and it was my profession to do coordinating!" He continued his laughing and even Leaf joined him. After some time, he stopped. He questioned, "Excited?"

I smirked. "Very much."

Suddenly, the screen in the hall lit up. A brown short haired woman said on the mic, _"Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Solaceon Contest! I am your one and only host... Marian! I welcome our judges. Mr. Sukizo, the president of the Pokémon Fan Club!"_

He simply smiled and said _, "Remarkable!"_

 _"Our next judge is Mr. Contesta, the Director of the Contest Committee!"_ she announced.

He politely waved to the crowd with a smile, _"Nice to be here!"_

 _"Last but not the least, the very own Nurse Joy of Solaceon Pokémon Center!"_

She waved to the audience. _"I am so lucky to be a judge, here!"_

 _"Now, let's get started with the Appeal Rounds! The first person to perform is..."_

I ignored the first name and turned to my Pokemon. I pumped up my fist, "We can do it! No need to worry!" They all copied me and roared, except for Lucario, of course. I had learned to be more calm at the time of contests, from my past. And I don't feel too nervous, either! It was after some time that a guy came and said that it was my turn next. I nodded.

Leaf slapped my back. "Best of luck, Dawny!"

Gary crossed him arms and wished with playful grin. "All the best, dummy!"

I winked. "No need to worry!" I gave Ash one last glance and then made my way to the corridor. I had already put the Pokémon I was going to use in the Pokéball capsules. I could hear Marian say, "Our next contestant is Dawn Berlitz from Twinleaf Town! Who has made a comeback after a three year break!"

I entered the stage and all those feelings came flashing back… it felt refreshing! I won't lose this opportunity to proof myself. I could see Leaf, Gary and Ash in the crowd, along with Piplup and Pikachu cheering for me... I took a deep breath and then threw my two Poké Balls, revealing Pachirisu with small hearts emitting from her and Milotic with bubbles blasting around her. I yelled, "Pachirisu and Milotic, spotlight!"

 _"What an amazing entry!_ "

"Chipa!"

"Bun, bun!"

They both landed with grace on the ground. They were standing very far from each other. I commanded, "Pachirisu, use Sweet Kiss, and Milotic, use Ice Beam!" They followed my orders and while performing their move and twirled elegantly around each other to stand in the center of the stage.

The pink hearts were scattered above all of us, just like clouds in the sky. Milotic shot her ice beam delicately all over those pink hearts, icing them exactly like their shape. Those all seemed like heart snowflakes. All the spectators were amazed by those as they landed on them, softly disappearing once they made contact with anything.

 _"Wow! What a splendid performance! Those two look just like ballerina dolls! What do you expect from a top coordinator from the past, aye? Their attacks together made frozen hearts which have seemed to cause quite an effect on the audience, awfully amazing!"_

I pointed my finger towards the hearts and ordered, "Now, Pachirisu! Discharge on the rest of the frozen hearts!"

 _"The cute squirrel used its electric move, blasting all those hearts, creating beautiful chilly sparkles! As those two are now in the centre, they both jump in the air and does a very elegant twirl in the air with their eyes closed... appearing like some very cute dancing dolls… truly something to appreciate!"_

As they landed on the floor beside me, we all bowed our heads. _"Now, let's hear the judges' views about their splendid performance! Mr. Sukizo?_ " People erupted into loud roars… I guess they liked it... I hope the judges did, too!

"Truly remarkable!" he exclaimed.

" _What is your opinion about it, Mr. Contesta?"_ the announcer questioned.

He leaned on the table and said, "It was very impressive, elegant and gracious. It looked like your Pokémon truly enjoyed the performance themselves, seeing them, and we all enjoyed! It was a mind-blowing performance."

 _"Thank you, sir. Next is Nurse Joy?"_

She closed her eyes and smiled _. "Oh my, such wonderful performance! Their moves and their dance impressed me! It was really a great combination of Milotic, a very peaceful Pokemon and Pachirisu, a very mischievous one. They seemed like a perfect pair!"_ Hash, so far, so good...

We bowed our heads once again and ran the back off the stage. I bent down to both of their level and pet them, gently. I smiled. "You both were _awesome_ back there! No need to worry!"

"Chipa!" Pachirisu nuzzled under my touch.

"Mi-lotic!" She smiled and rubbed her face against mine. "Whoa!" I balanced myself and got up scooping Pachirisu into my arms. As I entered the hall, again, I could see all three of them waiting for me. Leaf quickly ran to me and hugged me, knocking Pachirisu away on the ground. She yelled in glee, "You were awesome, Dawn!" I laughed and hugged her back.

After we pulled apart, Piplup jumped on me, causing me to loose balance and fall on one of the chairs. He nuzzled his cheeks into mine, I laughed. "Piplup, be careful!" He nodded.

Gary came to me and patted my head. "Everyone was impressed with your performance, don't worry!"

I nodded and smile."I am _not_ worrying this time. My Pokémon put a lot of effort in this! They have to succeed!"

As soon as I said those words, I heard Marian say, "Now's the time everyone has been waiting for… the results of the Appeal Rounds! Let's see, who are the eight lucky coordinators to reach the next round!" The photographs of all the people who were selected started to appear. I closed my eyes and folded my hands... _please I should be there!_

"Hey, look! Dawn, you made it!" I heard Leaf's voice as I opened my right eye to see whether I was there or not, but my picture was there! I opened both of my eyes and hugged my Pokémon. "Yay! We made it!" I could see Ash smile… why does he do everything to make me hate him?

 _"Congrats to all of those who made it, and who all did not, sorry, better luck next time! Now, here are the matchups!"_ Four pairs appeared on the screen. I was paired up with a guy named Kyle, and we were the third pair. He looked a bit younger than me. He had blonde hair and blue eyes.

I watched all the battles, intently, observing each and every move. I had decided to use Buneary and Typhlosion for the battling round. I wanted each and every Pokémon of mine to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime contest 'cause I knew they all loved it as much as I did…we all had a soft corner for it, except for Lucario.

There was one particular woman who interested me. She looked like a very strong opponent. She had long salmon hair and blue eyes, and wore a long green dress, which was till her ankles. I heard that her name was Solidad. She used her Lapras and Slowbro… She was very strong. I really want to meet her, now!

It was soon my turn and my opponent was a tough one, but was defeated very easily by my Buneary and Typhlosion. That Kyle did impress me, though, and it looked even he enjoyed battling me. After the battle he came up to me and we shook hands. He grinned, "You gave me a very tough battle! I _enjoyed_ like hell!"

I nodded and smiled. "Likewise. You were a strong opponent, too!"

He flashed a wide toothy grin. "Let's battle sometime, again!"

I winked. "You can count on it!" We both went back to the waiting area. He was pretty good for his age! As I went back, I couldn't see those four anywhere, so maybe they were still in the audience… I glanced at the screen and saw that I was paired up with another girl this time, but not with Solidad… Darn it!

"So, you are Dawn Berlitz, huh?" Leaf and I turned our heads to see who had spoken, and to my surprise it was Solidad! She was staring at me from head to toes...

"Piplup?"

I replied, "Yeah, and is something wrong?" I looked down myself to if there was something on my dress.

"No, it's just that I heard a lot about you." She had her one hand over her hip and other was left free.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "Really? Am I that popular?!" She just shrugged in response. Man, I wanted an answer!

Just then, Ash and Gary entered the room with Pikachu having ketchup in his hands. Maybe they had gone to buy him that. I heard Solidad say, "Nice meeting you again, Ash and Gary."

My eyes widened, I stood there dumbfounded. I stuttered, "Wh-wh...h-ho-h..."

As I was still in shock, Leaf beat me to asking the question. "Do you know each other?" I regained my composure as I looked at those two, waiting for their response.

Gary squinted his eyes and questioned Solidad, _"Who_ are you?" We all fell down, anime style. Seriously?

Ash slapped a hand over his forehead and Solidad was ticked off. "What the hell?! You fool, how come you don't remember _me?!"_ She clenched her fist.

The brunette put a hand under his chin and snapped his fingers. "Oh, yes! Now, I remember that you're the one who is one from Kanto… and whom we met _really_ unexpectedly?"

 _"Thanks_ for the compliment," the pinkette remarked, sarcastically. She continued, "Anyway, Dawn, I have seen your previous battles and I am quite impressed with your skills."

My eyes brightened with happiness. _"Really?"_ I came closer to her face with a very expectant look.

"Pip?!" Even he held the same expression as mine.

She smiled awkwardly at me and then, turned away. "Yeah. And I was here to tell you that I hope to battle with you in the finals."

I gave her a ear-to-ear wide smile and nodded my head. "Sure! I will definitely win this battle to move on to the finals! Oh, man, I am so psyched up!" I pumped up my fist.

"Piplup!" He jumped on my shoulder, following my actions.

"Well, then, meet you in the finals," she said as she turned around and walked away. I yelled and waved my hand, "You can count on it!"

"Pip!"

"So, how do you both know her?" I wondered.

Ash walked away with his hands in his pockets. "It's nothing to be concerned of."

"...What the hell?!"

Soon, it was my time to battle. I had won the semifinals, and now I was standing on the stage to fight the the final contest battle. I was really pumped up for this! And as decided, Solidad and I were the finalist. _"Are you all excited?"_ There was a roar of cheers of agreement. Marian continued, _"A final battle between a past top coordinator and a present one! Yes! We have Dawn from Twinleaf Town and Solidad from Viridian City! Give them a huge round of applause!"_

I entered the stage with a confident yet excited look on my face. I was really looking forward to how the battle might end up!

On my opposite, I could see Solidad enter the stage as well. She had a huge confident smile plastered on her face. Man, oh, man! I can't wait till it starts!

 _"Now, let's begin the match, shall we?!"_

I threw my Poké Balls in the air and yelled, "Piplup, Lucario, spotlight!" Piplup appeared with water bubbles bursting and Lucario with just some bubbles around him, too.

* * *

 _"Lucario?" I called out._

 _"Grr," he responded as I went to him and sat down next to him, as he was leaning on the tree._

 _I asked, "Do you want to take part in the contest tomorrow?"_

 _He shook his head as he gave an irritated sigh. "Lu!" He just stood up and was about to walk away, but I held his paws._

 _"Wait," I said. "You have to stay and hear me out. You've never competed in any of the contests with me since you joined my team… each and every Pokémon of mine has participated. Even Mamoswine, the same guy as you! Even he wouldn't listen to me, but eventually, he had taken a liking to contests..."_

 _He remained silent, not saying a word, but listening carefully. "I know that you feel like contests are not much of a competition to you… but, I promise I'll make sure you enjoy tomorrow. I mean, you don't have to take part in the appeal round, but can you participate by my side in the battle round? Pretty please?"_

 _The psychic type didn't reply for a brief minute before he finally gave up. He sighed as he nodded. "Grr…"_

 _I jumped up in joy as I hugged him. "Thanks!" He got so flustered that he hit me with a small aura sphere, giving me a huge shock, electrifying me entire body. He glared at me and I responded with a small smile. "I-I am fine! N-no need t-to worry..!"_

* * *

Solidad did the same as me. "Lapras and Slowbro, take the stage!" They both came out of their ball with both using the same capsule seal, having multiple number of stars flying around them. As soon as both of our Pokémon were in the battle stance, we began our moves.

 _"Wow! All the three Pokémon on the field are water types, with only one psychic type! None of them have the chances of having an advantage! Let's see what their trainers have in mind!"_

I decided to take the first move, "Piplup, use Bubble Beam and Lucario, Aura Sphere!" They obliged as Piplup quickly shot bubbles at the Lapras and Lucario threw his sphere at Slowbro.

Solidad just said, "Both of you dodge it! Slowbro, use headbutt on Milotic and Lapras, use confusion ray!" As they had dodged the attack, it caused us to lose a small amount of points on the board. Damn! They both lunged at my Pokémon.

I quickly responded, "Lucario, Counter, and Piplup, close your eyes and use Hydro Pump!" Lucario used his Counter and avoided the hit by the crab-looking Pokémon. And Piplup had dodged the attack by using Hydro Pump. This resulted in her losing some of her points.

Solidad smirked. "Slowbro, Psych Up and Lapras hit back with Ice Beam." As soon as the Ice Beam hit the Hydro Pump, it got frozen, which soon blasted into the air causing sprinkles of ice to fall on everyone. It lessened my points. But then, I immediately ordered, "Lucario, Quick Attack!"

"Grr." The fox type Pokemon nodded as he used his move and countered the attack, pushing Slowbro back from it's place. It was her time to lose points this time. I took the next step, "Both of you, use Water Pulse and Aura Sphere in the upward direction!"

I am sure that everyone were thinking, what the hell I am doing… but, I want them to see what I am made of, especially, you Ash. I could see Ash having a look of _'is she crazy?'_ but after some time, his face looked like he understood what I was up to… you are smart, Ash.

I glanced at Solidad; even she didn't happen to understand what I had in mind. As soon as both the water type and psychic type released their Water Pulse and Aura Sphere, the two orbs were moving towards each other and the two collided, but they didn't burst and instead became one big Water Pulse and Aura Sphere combo with an unusual band of colors in it.

Actually, the two spheres had totally different type of powers in it. One was a water type and the other one had dark powers. I'm sure no one must've thought that something like this could even occur. I just had this strange idea, when by mistake Piplup and Lucario's move had clashed. It looked like an extremely strong orb! But, when I had tried it again… it resulted in huge explosions… which was... fine? Yeah.

 _"Truly amazing! What an unusual move...! It looked very… enchanting… What **is** Solidad going to do now? It's almost time, and it looks like if she doesn't do anything soon, then, she might lose! Let's see what Dawn's up to now!"_

I smirked. "Piplup, Lucario, now!" Both of them jumped in the air and surrounded the ball. The tender Pokémon used it's One Punch and the penguin used Drill Peck on the double sized sphere of unique powers. It flew more higher in the air and burst out releasing a small rainbow in the air. This caused a large lost of points of my opponent. "Good job, Piplup, Lucario!"

"Oh, my! I wonder how she came up with that! From the looks of audience, it looked like all of them are pretty awe-stricken by this small spectrum! Piplup and Lucario had gracefully stepped on the ground, now. What is going on with Solidad? Why isn't she responding to this?"

I could hear Solidad command, "Now, it's my turn. Lapras, use Mist, and Slowbro, Ice Shard!" The Mist covered them, preventing us from seeing what was happening in there.

...What was she up to now?

 _"Oh, so is this Solidad's turn, now? Who knew that today's events would be so full of eye-widening performances!"_

I have to stay alert, she might be planning something big...

Suddenly, Slowbro and Lapras dashed towards Lucario and Piplup, respectively, from either side. "Lapras, Body Slam, and Slowbro, Headbutt!" They headed for us. She continued with a smirk, "Do you think I would make an appealing move? No way I have time to waste for that." The moves did take some of my points.

Shit. I knew it!

I gritted my teeth, "Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" And to my surprise, he jumped next to Lucario and used Hydro Pump while twirling. My eyes widened . When did he learn that?! I smiled. That's my Piplup!

It caused them to jump back in order to avoid the attack. Solidad grinned. "Use Rain Dance."

What?! Now, both of them are going to use Rain Dance together? Wait, what is she thinking...? Man, I got to do something! Yes… I know what to do.

I grinned. "Lucario, Iron Defense! And Piplup, use Bubble Beam in the air!"

"Grr!"

"Pip!"

 _"Oh, no, what does she have in mind this time?! Solidad's Pokémon will sing Rain Dance together? And what is Piplup doing, throwing Bubble Beam in the air? And what might Lucario do with his move?"_

All the Rain Danced fell from the sky, increasing both Pokémon's moves, and it made their bodies shine with immense beauty. They both looked... beautiful! Piplup jumped above Lucario, and used Bubble Beam while twirling itself 360 degrees. I am sure their strength - Lapras and Slowbro - had increased three times more than the normal amount.

Lucario activated his Iron Defense, making his entire body iron-like. He defended his body with that move from both of the Rain Dances falling on him. His body seemed entirely like a steel armour and the rain falling on it reflected briefly on it, making him shine.

 _"Wow! Look at them; all four of their bodies are sparkling with water! Wait, what is that? Piplup is using Bubble Beam, while standing on top of Lucario! It looks like an amazing fan, which releases bubbles instead of air!"_ It reduced both mine and Solidad's points.

She gritted her teeth, "Now, for our final move! Slowbro, Growl on Piplup, and Lapras, Sheer Cold at Lucario!"

"Slow!"

"Lap..ras!"

The two Pokémon followed the instructions and released their attacks. Lapras used Sheer Cold on Lucario in such a graceful way; she danced for sometime with her head raised above, and then when the attack was ready, she was about to hit my fox Pokémon. But, I had quick reflexes, and shouted, "Dodge it!" It reduced my points this time.

Slowbro was just as graceful. He growled so cutely which, almost charmed everyone by it. How much I adored that cuteness, but I had to take action. "Piplup, jump up!" But it had hit him. It again decreased my points!

And, suddenly, the buzzer rang off.

 _"The bell has rung, indicating that this is the end of this awe-inspiring performance! Now let's see who has warned the chance of winning the contest and those four tickets!"_

My heart was beating so badly that I could feel that any moment it would come to my mouth! I could see Solidad suffering from the same situation. I could glance at the TV screen, but they had removed the bars… Just how much do they want to increase tension? All the four Pokémon were also nervous. Piplup turned around to glance at me and I couldn't help but give him an assuring smile. Like usual, Lucario stood in his stance, arms folded and eyes closed, as if he didn't care. But I knew he was worried, too!

 _"The winner is...Dawn Berlitz and her Piplup and Lucario from Twinleaf Town! Congrats to the winner!"_

Did we… win? Did I hear it right?

After some realisation, a wide smile crept up on my face. Piplup jumped on me and gave me a hug. I yelled, "We did it, guys! We _won!"_ I bent down and hugged Lucario, who I think was a little flustered by my embrace. He just averted his gaze from me and closed his eyes, keeping up his tough act.

"Piplup!" Piplup cheered.

"You both were awesome!" I gave them a huge toothy grin.

I proved to Ash that my team and I are capable of winning the contest.

I quickly went to Solidad and shook hands with her. "It was an awesome battle! We enjoyed it!"

She smiled. "Yes, indeed it was. I am glad that I got to have such a battle with you… Congratulations!" I smiled back and nodded. I quickly went up and received my ribbon and the tickets. I just had to meet up with my friends, and especially Ash. Mwahaha. In your face, Ash Ketchum!

I quickly met up with them, and Leaf caught me with a bone crushing hug, I choked, "Leaf!"

She released me and shook me violently, "You won, Dawn! I am so happy for you!"

Gary can up and slapped my back. "You did well, along with your Pokémon! And, surprisingly, Lucario was following your commands! Everyone went crazy over you!"

I rubbed my shoulder. "Ouch, it hurts, you know? And, thanks!" I said as I held out a victory sign. "And Lucario actually didn't agree to take part, but a little convincing made him." I glanced around, searching for someone. I asked them, "Where are Ash and Pikachu?"

Gary replied, "He went out, I guess."

"Piplup!" I looked down to see him standing. I quickly bent down and picked him up in my arms, "Piplup, you were amazing back there! When did you learn that move? I am proud of you." I smiled.

He puffed up his chest and blushed. "Piplup!" He leaned his cheek towards me. I gave him a confused glance.

Leaf cooed, _"Aww."_

Gary slapped his head, "Dawn, he wants you to kiss him on the cheek! How much dumb can you be?!" I nodded in understanding. I smiled and gave him a peck on his cheek. He blushed, so brightly. He looked cute!

I looked down and there sat the tough Pokémon, still in usual composure. "You did an awesome job as well. You were truly amazing!" I bent down and hugged him, again.

He looked away as he growled. "Grr." I smiled as I stood up and returned him back in his Poké Ball.

Leaf yawned. "I am very tired today!"

Gary agreed, "Yeah! Same here. Let's head back to the Pokémon center?" Leaf nodded.

"You guys go ahead, I will be back in some time, alright?"

* * *

I was roaming in the area around the contest hall, hoping to find Ash. As I was doing that, I decided to let all my Pokémon out. As soon as they were free, they all tackled me with all their might - except Lucario, of course - to congratulate for the victory. I chuckled, "Guys!" Once again I started searching for Ash, along with all my six Pokémon.

I have now showed Ash that I am very good at coordinating! But I was so confused. Had had just helped me out that night, and then he was saying that he didn't have faith in me that I would win! ...Wait a second, everything makes sense now!

My eyes widened, as I stopped in my tracks, confusing the others.

He wasn't looking down on me in the first place! He made me angry because… I would be so furious at him that I would get so focused on the match… that I would aim only for winning! And prove him that I was better than he imagined! He never lost trust in me… and, if I think about it… it was his way of encouraging me!

I smiled. Suddenly, I heard my Pokémon pointing in a direction and I looked up to see what the were saying and… saw… Ash sitting on a bench, with Pikachu on his shoulder. His eyes were closed. It looked like he felt so peaceful and relaxed. I went closer to where he was and stepped right in front of him, along with all my Pokémon.

I guess he felt a shadow on him because he had opened his eyes. "Pikachu." The rodent jumped on my shoulder.

"Hey, Pikachu! How you doin'?" I scratched under his chin. Then, he went down to greet all the others. I turned to his trainer. "Hey, Ash!"

"Well, what is it?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

I grinned. "Aren't you going to congratulate us for our win?"

"You got many, already. Why would you need one more and that too, from me of all people? It doesn't make any difference, though."

I shook my head as I folded my arms behind my back. "I want one more 'congrats' from _you,_ because every person make a difference. Not everyone are same, you know?"

He closed his eyes, again. "Fine, if you insist. Congratulations."

I smiled, "Thanks!"

Ash smiled, too. "That was one heck of a move. What were you thinking when you were mixing the Water Pulse and Aura Spheres? It could be dangerous."

I replied with joy, "We practised a lot for that, and you know practice makes perfect!"

"Hm. But still, you are so dumb and reckless."

I winked. "I will tell you one saying which suites me pretty well, 'I am not smart enough to do everything, but I am dumb enough to try anything' how's it, huh?"

He chuckled. "It reminds me _just_ of you, stupid blueberry."

I sheepishly hit my head with my knuckles. "I don't mind it this time."

He said, "Anyway, I am impressed with you."

"Hey, Ash… thanks for everything you have done!" I folded my palms behind my back.

He looked the other side with a knowing smile. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Uh-huh, _you_ should know it pretty well, what I am talking about. Anyway, I am so sorry for being rude and yelling at you." I smiled back.

He got up from his seat, jabbing his hands in his pockets and turned around, so that I couldn't see his face. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder in the process. Ash said, in a low voice, which was only audible to me, "I am sorry, too. And thanks, that day I didn't thank you, so… there you go." As soon as he told me this, he started walking away.

I chuckled and yelled, "You are one complicated guy, Ash Ketchum!" He gave a two finger goodbye, indicating that he had heard me.

Ash, sometimes, I like you a lot, from the bottom of my heart. I don't know why, but I am getting this warm feeling in me, which feels surprisingly...good!

Ash Ketchum, I won't say that you are one in million, but you sure are unique from everyone else! You're really someone who'll do everything he can and still act as if you did it for your own good. Though I don't understand you, that is what makes me more interested, and… maybe attracted towards you and your confusing personality...

* * *

 ** _Sooooo...liked it? Or not?_**

 ** _How did you all like the last part? Was it good? I am certain that you all might have sensed her love blooming for him! Heehee! But, Dawn still has a long way to go 'till she realizes her true love for him! *grins* You'll just have to keep reading!_**

 ** _Personally, I think that the last moment between Ash and Dawn was really cute...they were like getting closer! And damn, Ash's way of supporting her is seriously weird, isn't it? Just the way he is. Really unique._**

 ** _I know, I know and I know, that the contest and the entire battle was like...totally lame! But, I'm sorry 'cause I'm not a pro at it! And you know what? I just realized, how much time it requires for an author to write a battle scene! I mean, you just have to do hell lot of research on it! I was like getting g annoyed by each second! I seriously appreciate those who write awesome battle scenes! =_=_**

 ** _And yeah, guys, be sure to check out my latest songfic one-shot, "You're The One." I hope you all read and enjoy it's ride of emotions! I know that it's filled with different emotions! Be sure to check it out, people!_**

 ** _And thanks a lot! Really! For all of your reviews! I hope, I keep receiving those! It's a good feedback that makes me confident and motivated! Thnx all of you, again! ^_^_**

 ** _So, read, review and follow!_**

 ** _If you smiled, then, click the review button! : )_**

 ** _Bye-bye! See ya!_**


	13. One-on-One

_**Heyaa, ppl!**_

 _ **How you all doing?! Hopefully, fine. I whole-heartedly apologize for such a long delay...maybe, umm...wait, when was my last update? Oh, yeah...it was on Oct 23rd, 2017...maybe two months? It's just two months?! Darn, I was thinking that it might've been more than three months! But, surprisingly, it's less than that! Yay! (Ik, it's nothing like an achievement to celebrate)**_

 _ **Actually, I was super, super, super busy! Like seriously! This eleventh grade is at it's peak and I gotta try my level best to score a ten CGPA in the finals! I wouldn't have updated even now, but since I've come to Oman for a few days, I decided to post this new chapter...since you might've all been waiting long! So, hopefully, you guys understand my circumstances.**_

 ** _To be honest, I really missed this site! I haven't opened this website since my last update! Can you imagine for two freakin' months I was studying without visiting Fanfiction!? But, now that I'm back...let's hit the road! ; p_**

 ** _Oh, yeah and one more thing. I'll be replying to your comments here itself for today since I don't even remember if I have replied earlier through PMs...I'm very lazy to check my inboxes, now...so, please don't mind if this A/N becomes any more longer. (Actually, I really wanted to try this out! Y'know, replying to reviewers in the author's note?)_**

 ** _twilight sparkle_** _:_ _I never really replied to your reviews, did I? Actually, I never replied to guests! So, keeping that aside! **Congrats** for being the **150th** reviewer! And here's the update! Enjoy, gurl! ; p_

 _ **DarkestLightOfHope**_ _: Oh, that's bad! But, better luck next time! (Damn, I was really happy to see that you wanted to be the 150th reviewer, eep!) Yeah, that contest did turn out pretty well, surprisingly. And yeah, Ash...even though, **I'm** the one writing his character...I feel like falling for him! He's just too...cool! Anyway, hope you had enjoyed! Enjoy this one, too!_

 ** _NostalgicMermaid_** : _Haha, I really loved after reading your comment! Mmm...I'm not **that** bad at writing battles, too, huh? And yeah, Gary is my fav! He is the most entertaining one out of all! Like seriously! And Leaf's always cute, but now she's gonna go in badass mode! Ash and Dawn are the best couple ever! *squeals* Personally, I really loved the last scene of the previous chappie! Glad you all loved it, too! And...mmm...you're in great luck since this chapter is gonna have some LeafxGary scenes! ...yeah, I get what you're saying...I can understand. Thanks for your review! : )_

 ** _Your_** ** _ admirer: _**_Thanks a lot for your review! Glad that you enjoyed and I'll do my best! So that you can get chapters more_ _frequently! ; D_

 ** _pearlshippinglover_** _: Yeah, yeah. I know. But, without even wishing for I update only after 2 months, how surprising, right? Idk how that happens! Haha, thanks for your comment! Even I was smiling but sadly, I can't review my **own** story! *cries uncontrollably* Anyway, thanks! Enjoy reading! ; )_

 ** _MacroTaleLove_** : _Yeah, Dawn got those! When **isn't** she awesome?! Haha, enjoy this chapter, too! : p_

 ** _SparklingPearl123_** : _IKR! It took her twelve chapters to develop feelings for him! Damn, she's dense! (Lol. I am the one to write it, though!) And like I said, I personally felt that warmth in my heart after that part! Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this one, too! ; p_

 _ **Guest**_ _ **:** Yeah, thanks for reading and enjoying it! I'm busy, correct...But, I dont really have a choice, do I? And glad to know you like this story! Keep on liking, pal! : D_

 ** _planesnstuff_** ; _Hey, there! I haven't seen your reviews before, so that means you're new on reading my stories, right? So...welcome, then! Anyway, as for your suggestion, even I think that the villain should be Paul but I'm confused if you all would love Paul or an OC as the villain...(see after this para for more info) Ash and Dawn's relationship is heaven, right? And yeah, I, **myself** love the way how I portrayed Dawn's character in this story! And I'm really **honoured** that you consider this story as one of the bests! Thanks! Wow...Y'know, it's my first time someone rated my story! I'm glad that your were the forst one! I'll try even harder to get a 10 on 10, someday? And best of luck for your story, too! Hopefully, I'll get to read it, soon! ; p_

 ** _Yeah, guys...I have been wanting to ask all of you, readers, this question...if I should make Paul or an OC as the villain? I don't know what you all prefer, so I won't know until and unless you tell me through your reviews. Though, I have written the last chapters, I took it as an OC and wrote it but if you want I can change it to Paul's name...So, guys, please make sure you tell me or else I won't know...I, obviously, am not a psychic! So, do tell me!_**

 ** _And woah! This A/N is a lot longer than I expected it to be! Hopefully, you ppl won't mind!_**

 ** _So...enough of my chattering, you'd probably wanna read Dawn's blabber more than mine, right?! Ik! Go ahead and read! (I'm hurt, though! *places a hand on heart*)_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 13_**

 ** _One-on-One!_**

The next morning, my alarm rang off. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, and, glancing at my mobile screen, I saw it was eleven in the morning! What...it's _already_ this late? How _come_ Leaf and all didn't wake me up?! Even Piplup wasn't here.

Whatever! It's already too late and I gotta hurry! hurriedly scurried to the bathroom, brushing my teeth as fast as I could and doing the same for my bath.

I came out of the bath room in _just...approximately...twenty_ minutes. I took out my clothes from my bag and dressed myself at my maximum speed. I changed my clothes in the room itself since no one was there in the room. I placed my mobile and packed my bag in a swift moment. I slung it over my shoulder and put on my boots. In just twenty minutes, I was out of my room, rushing down to the outside area. As I was running down, I buttoned up my black vest.

As soon as I stepped out of the Pokémon Center, I saw my three companions standing there. I relaxed and bent down, resting my palms on either of my knees and patted heavily. I said, still breathing heavily, "Now… let's get… m-moving." Piplup quickly jumped on my head.

Leaf and Gary were laughing loudly, which confused me. I decided to ask, "What happened?"

"Relax, we are not leaving just yet," Leaf replied, finally controlling her laugh. She was wearing a black and three-fouths white pair of jeans and a light green sleeveless top, with a turtwig pictured on it, cropped to almost show her belly button. Her hair was left open and she wore her brown hat with a red ribbon on it.

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Dude, you need to learn how to calm your nerves! We knew you were going to be tired from yesterday, so we decided that you should get enough rest," Gary answered. He was dressed in black ripped jeans and red colored T-shirt, with a print of _'I am hot, want me as a heater?_ ' - just like him - and he was also wearing his usual fingerless gloves.

I nodded in understanding. "Oh."

Ash was leaning on a wall nearby with his arms crossed, and, as usual, he has Pikachu on his shoulder. That's when I noticed his dressing. He had donned a fashionable black leather jacket with multiple silver zippers as embellishment. He had paired it with black jeans and wore fingerless gloves on his either hands.

I stood upright again and rubbed the back of my head with a silly grin. I said them, sheepishly, "Looking at you guys, I seem a little unfashionable!" They all looked at me weirdly, and then Ash and Gary blushed in embarrassment. I complimented them, "Seriously, you guys look _too_ good! I gotta admit that you all are looking _fantabulous!"_ I winked.

Leaf slapped Gary's back and Ash's shoulder and grinned. "See, I told ya! You both look awesome!"

"Did you select for them?" I questioned.

Leaf nodded. "Yup, the _one_ and _only!"_

Gary shook his head in disapproval. "You see, as you were going to wake up late, we decided to stroll in the city for the meantime. You already know that this greeny couldn't resist the shopping centers and dragged us in there. Heck, we were tired _like_ hell after trying on those stupid outfits, thanks to this girl here. Finally, this was the result." He pointed to their outfits.

I nodded and smiled. "You both look different. Well, change is good, you know?" They both nodded, Leaf wearing a prideful look on her face.

Suddenly, my stomach growled and I blushed in embarrassment. "Can we have breakfast, first?"

All of those three laughed and nodded. "You know, we had a light breakfast, so that we could all eat together!" Leaf said matter-of-factly.

I looked at them, astonished. I muttered, "Since when did you all become _so_ nice to me?"

* * *

We had finished our breakfast and were now on our way to the Solaceon Town for the further events. We were walking in a forest, Ash - with Pikachu on his shoulder - Gary and Leaf were in front - talking as the walked - and I was at the rear.

I had my arms folded behind my head and Piplup on top of it. I rolled my eyeballs up so that I could have a view of my penguin. I asked, "Hey, Piplup, you want a chocolate?"

He nodded, continuously, with glee and chirped, "Pip, piplup!"

I quickly took out two bars of ' _MilkyWay_ ' and gave one to Piplup and took the other one for myself. While unwrapping it, I said, "You know, we didn't get time to eat some for days!" The blue Pokémon nodded in response. "Man, was I really busy in the contest that I didn't get to think about my love?!" I admired the bar in my hand with sparkles in my eyes and lightly rubbed it to my cheek. (No, the chocolate didn't get on my cheek)

"Pip, pip, piplup." He narrowed his eyes. Obviously, saying, "Stop being such a drama queen." I sheepishly laughed and ate the chocolate.

"Dawn, if you are _done_ with your chocolate, then will you increase your pace?! Because if you don't match our speed, we might leave you," Leaf shouted.

I quickly responded by saying, "Wait, I am coming!" I went and stood next to Leaf and apologized to her, "Sorry for being such a klutz!"

Leaf was about to say something, just when Ash interrupted her, saying, "Yes, you _should_ be."

I frowned, I _never_ asked him for an explanation… I don't understand him… Damnit… He was nice to me just _yesterday,_ and today, he is back to being rude again! So frustrating!

Leaf just smiled. "It's alright." I returned her smile.

Gary was looking at the mobile with a very focused expression. "What happened, Gary?" I asked.

"There is no network in this area," he responded, and put his mobile back in his pocket.

"We are almost in the middle of the forest, so it's _obvious,"_ Ash said.

Gary remarked, "Whoa, we _are?_ I didn't realize it up until now!"

Leaf scoffed, "If you had focused on the _atmosphere_ rather than on your mobile, then you would have realized it."

"I kept my eyes on the mobile as to prevent them from diverting towards _you,_ because there is _no_ thing I'd like to see rather than that _cute_ face of yours… and you probably wouldn't _want_ that to happen, would you?" He wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, along with Piplup.

"Nope, I would be _more_ than happy if you would do that because it would be _really_ bad to not have someone to look at it," she answered back. In just one moment, mine and Gary's jaw hit the ground, along with Piplup's and Pikachu's. Ash didn't give much of a reaction to it, but he had his eyebrows raised with shock.

No one expected that. I _did…_ but not this early!

Yay...Way to go, Leaf.

Gary recovered from his initial shock and crossed his arms. "Aww, Leafy can even _flirt?_ Never expected that you were _so_ good at it, though… ha, it's a good thing… Now we can have a flirting session or something!" He said with wink.

I was still shocked. I had kept my position similar to Ash's, and couldn't help but comment on this, "Unsurprisingly, they both are so good at it."

Ash was surprised at first, but nodded nonetheless.

They were still throwing back some insults and flirtatious comments at same time, so I decided to interrupt. _"Guys,_ I think we should get moving, because we have to reach the Solaceon Town by tomorrow morning."

* * *

By now, the sky had darkened. We were still walking, but then at last, decided to take a rest by spending the night in the middle of the trees. We set our camps and Leaf was now cooking us dinner. Ash and Gary were sitting on a log in front of the bonfire, talking about some of their past memories. Piplup was playing with all the Pokémos, including those of Leaf, Gary and Ash.

I went next to Leaf and said her, "Hey, Leaf! I didn't know you would get on the topic directly!"

She blushed and looked the other way. "I don't know! I just felt so _angry_ at him for always cornering me and teasing me… That's why… I let it all out!"

I took a berry and started eating it. "But, I seriously didn't know that you were this good."

"Really?" she asked, expectantly.

"Yes," I replied, "who taught you and where did you learn it from?" I narrowed my eyes.

She turned the other way and whistled. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You know _exactly_ what I am talking about, Leaf Green," I said, with my eyes as narrow as slits.

"...I learned it from Red, and you could say even books..." She fidgeted her fingers.

I giggled and said, "You are doing great, I am sure Gary will suffer from the same situation as you very soon." Leaf grinned and went back to work. I moved away from there and went to where Lucario was resting, under a tree.

I greeted him, "Hey, Lucario!" I sat down next to him and rested back on the branch. He looked at me with his eye and then closed it again. I smiled. "You wanna have some fun?"

He didn't reply, so I asked again. "Do you think you could company me in the forest? I just wanna roam, you know?"

He nodded and stood up, and I followed suit. I decided to inform my group of where we were going first. I called out, "Guys, I am going with Lucario to stroll in the trees. I will be back before the dinner." They all nodded and Piplup jumped in my arms, causing the blue and black fox Pokémon to growl. I patted his head and we three went further in the woods...just for some refreshment.

* * *

Next morning was quite calm and peaceful. As always, I was the last one to wake up. I went into the tent, removed my nightdress and wore my original clothes. Once, I was out, I saw all them dressed in the same clothes as yesterday. We discussed that we would have our breakfast once we reach on the city.

We continued on our way to the town, the time went by quite quickly we reached Solaceon Town. I didn't think we would reach it this fast, though!

We went to the nearest restaurant and ate our breakfast. When we finished, we went to find where the exhibition ground was. We found it pretty soon, but the show won't start until 11 o' clock, which meant we still had two hours left.

"Hey, everyone! Even today, we have to wear disguises, don't we?" Leaf winked. Ash and Gary groaned in response. I didn't give much of a reaction, as I enjoyed seeing myself in different get-ups.

Gary whined, "But… why? I don't want to hide my _hotness!"_

Leaf put a finger on his chest and said, slyly, "Don't worry, you look hot in everything you wear… Gary." _Omg!_ She said that in her _seductive_ tone!

My goodness! Was _this_ the end of the world?!

When I glanced at Gary, my eyes widened and jaw hit the ground.

The _great_ Gary Oak was all too embarrassed and flustered for the first time ever, that too because of a _girl_ flirting with him!

Wait, there is _no_ way that this is happening! I've got to be dreaming!

"No, you are not dreaming," I heard Ash say. I blinked, still in shock and disbelief. He slapped his forehead with his palm. "And close your mouth, it's too embarrassing. We are in public, you know?" I shot my head towards him and glared very hardly.

He looked at me, unfazed. I turned to Gary, when he nodded and stammered, "Uh… o..okay."

Leaf smiled victoriously. "Good!" She patted his shoulder and gave a smirk. Then she continued, "Let's go there. I see a shop where they sell wigs and stuff!" She skipped away.

I went to Gary and said, "Gary, be careful with your words from now on, because I think she is beating you to it. Yes, your speciality. I pity you, dude." I patted his back.

* * *

After some shopping, we were all dressed in the same attire as before, the only difference our hair and eye colour. I had blonde waist-length hair and purple eye lens. It suit my personality, though. I loved it!

"Piplup!" he complimented me.

"Man, I knew all all the looks would look good on me!" Gary praised himself, looking in the mirror. He had chosen dark blue spiky hair and blue eye lens. I agreed with him.

"I told ya, didn't it?" Leaf smiled. She had green short hair and grey eye lens.

"You look beautiful, Leaf!" I complimented her.

She gave a victory sign. "Thanks!"

"We need to get going. The show will start in just twenty minutes or so," Ash reminded us, while glancing at his watch. His hair was covered with short brown spiky hair and red eyes.

"Yeah, sure. But, you look nice, I must say," I said, thoughtfully.

"Ooh, Ashy-boy got a _compliment_ from Dawny!" Gary wiggled his eyebrows and wrapped his one arm around Ash's shoulder, causing Ash to blush lightly. Even I blushed, _just_ a bit.

"We have no time to deal with this nonsense, Gary," he said as he walked further. Gary just smirked and went next Ash, probably to tease him more, but we couldn't hear.

Leaf asked suggestively, "What was that about, Dawn, huh?"

"I just complimented him, that's all! I even praised _Gary!"_ I exclaimed. "What's the big deal?!"

She nodded. "Uh-huh, _sure."_

"Hey!" But Leaf walked away, moving to stand alongside Ash and Gary. I frowned. "Geez!"

"Pip?"

We reached the area where the show was to be held. It was an open area with bare ground, chairs arranged around the stage, on which there was a pedestal with a black cloth covered over it. We had to check-in and get our seats. We showed our tickets to the bodyguards and, when they were about to detect if we had were any weapons, the manager told them to let us come in, as we were special guests.

Thank goodness!

"But, how does she know?" Leaf wondered. Point.

Ash replied, "I had talked to her and told her about us, I am sure the manager won't be behind all this, because if she were, then it would be a huge loss to her."

"Oh," the brunette - now green-haired - nodded in understanding.

We all went to the manager, Suzy, and thanked her. She was a beautiful lady; she had long black hair and grey eyes. She was dressed in formal dress, a white button up shirt with a black blazer, black pencil skirt, and black heels. She was a true beauty.

She chuckled, "Don't worry, it's alright. You are here to cover us, after all. I am Suzy, nice to meet you."

We all introduced us to them and she showed us our way to the seats. We were in the front row, so that we could take actions, immediately.

" _Attention, everyone! We are all gathered here to get view of the legendary Pokémon of space, a member of the creation trio of Sinnoh region! Everyone sitting here should very lucky to be seated in front of the statue of Palkia! Once you see it, I am sure it will leave you all dazed and awe-struck! Representing the sculpture of one and only, the Palkia!_ " the announcer said and removed the curtain from Palkia's statue. He was talking as if we were going to see the real Palkia.

Once the cover was blown, everyone present gasped in amazement. It was really well carved, and every feature of it looked real. It even had an expression of intense anger, but not fear. I wondered what was up will all of this.

 _"Amazing, isn't it?_ " the announcer asked. Everyone nodded in agreement as they admired the creation in front of them.

Just then, two silhouettes jumped on the stage, and those two were none other than Brian and Miette. The black-haired boy snatched the microphone from the announcer and said, " _If anyone here feels that their life is precious to them, then I request you all to leave this hall immediately, because no one knows what we might do. So, please, this is a strict warning. This is your only chance to run away, because there won't be any more."_

People looked frightened, and ran towards the exit. Of course they would be afraid of him! Everyone left except for the manager and the four of us. We all took off our wigs, Leaf turning to Suzy and saying, "Please, go and hide somewhere, we wouldn't want you to get hurt." She nodded and went. Just then, all the security guards surrounded the stage, guns pointed towards Brian and Miette.

Trip crossed his arms and smiled. "Are you all going to capture and lock us behind the bars? Oh, I am so _scared!_ I am sorry to say this," he said, smirking, "but you all are no match to fight with us. Our level is way higher than yours. If would excuse us, we would like to fight with those four." He pointed to our direction and snapped his fingers, a small blast took place beneath the guards' feet, causing all of them to fall down on the ground, unconscious.

Miette jumped down and appeared in front of us, quickly wrapping her either arms around Ash's and Gary's. She gushed, "You both looked handsome _even_ in your disguises!"

"Pika!" The yellow mouse climbed on Ash's head from his shoulder.

Gary cringed and unwrapped her arm, quickly coming and standing next to us. He scoffed, "Oh, please. I _already_ know that, it's nothing new."

Ash pushed away her arms with great difficulty and stood next to Gary. He folded his arms and said, "Trip, take care of your girl."

Trip's eyes widened and let out a laugh. "You think she is my girl? Ha, that's got to be the joke of the year."

Miette nodded and said, "There's no way that is possible! He is not as hot as you both!"

Leaf asked, "Aren't you guys here on a _mission?"_

The grey-eyed nodded and smirked. "How are you all going to save this statue, huh? You see, this one doesn't even have a high security system. The statue is inviting us to borrow it with open arms. And how do you think we can refuse that welcoming request?"

He was right. There was no security for this one and it was open from all the four sides. I looked at Gary and Ash, and they both nodded and rushed towards the pedestal. Those two should be able to secure it.

Trip raised his eyebrow. "You want a fight, huh?"

I grinned. "Bring it on, baby!"

"Pip!"

Miette whined, "Oh, c'mon, Trip! Let's take the sculpture already! Why do you want to fight?!"

"Let's fight, physically this time. No using of Pokémon, what do you say?"

I agreed, "Sure!"

"Dawn, wait!" I turned to Leaf and she whispered, "What if they want to test you? Last time you said that they took your physical test! Don't be stupid. This has to be a trick!"

I grinned and assured her, "No need to worry, Leaf! Let them take our test… it doesn't matter! What _can_ they possibly do? It's alright. Let's show them our girl power!" She nodded, hesitantly.

"Very well, then. Miette, they are all yours. I will take care of the boys over there," he said, and went away towards the stage.

We turned to the girl and Leaf said, "Uh… it's unfair to fight like this because she is outnumbered by us."

She smirked. "You don't know my strength. Anyway, you are right... I am outnumbered by you both."

I thought for a while and said, "Why don't you choose any one among us to battle with you? Then, it will be fair and square. Right, Leaf?"

"Piplup, pip?" Piplup asked the same thing as me.

The brunette nodded. "Sure. I don't mind."

Miette pointed her finger towards Leaf and said, "I would like to face-off with her, Leaf girl. I know your abilities quite well, but not so much about Leaf's, though. Show me what you got!"

I smirked. "You got yourself a _very_ good fight."

Leaf grinned. "You want to see my strength, then, shall we begin?"

The blue-haired girl nodded and she charged towards Leaf with a full speed. She lunged at her but the latter ducked. Leaf quickly took this opportunity to hit her and kicked her on the leg, causing her to fall.

I took this time to glance at the boys. They were still conversing with Trip. How much does he talk?! The next thing I knew, Brian threw a punch at Gary, who blocked it and used the other hand to punch him back. Brian ducked and tried to kick him in the stomach but Gary moved back, missing the hit. Those two were good!

I looked at Ash. He had something up his sleeve. That was for sure! He was staring at Trip for so long that it seemed like he was waiting for a specific moment. What could that be...

Anyway, I had focus on Leaf and Miette. I looked at them and saw that none of them had gotten hit, yet. Miette laughed, "My, you're good!"

Leaf wiped away a bead of sweat from her forehead and said, "Same goes for you."

I took this opportunity to hold Miette from behind and wrapped her arms behind her back. "Gotcha'!"

"Good job, Dawn!" Leaf winked.

"Pip...lup!"

Miette 's eyes widened in surprise. I looked at my other partners and Ash had done the same thing! He also held Brian, just like how I held Miette! I guess, great minds think alike...

We made our way to the stage, along with Miette. Ash told Gary, "Call the SBI to get them arrested." Gary nodded.

Trip laughed and said, "You think we would give up this easily?! Ha, no way that van happen! Claydol, do your job!" He let out his Pokémon and it flew above the statue. What was he thinking...?

Suddenly, the sculpture vanished into thin air, and all of our eyes widened in shock. Leaf exclaimed, "What the hell?!"

Brian and Miette hit both of us in the stomach, which caused me to yelp, "Ouch!"

As soon as I clutched my stomach, they ran away from our grip. A little airship appeared out od nowhere and a ladder was let down, on which those two climbed up. The blonde gave a two finger wave and said, "See you, later, losers!"

"Piplup! Piplup!" Piper yelled in anger.

Gary gritted his teeth. "How dare he?!"

Ash let out a frustrated sigh and said, "It was going so well this time, damnit!"

Gary just frowned and said, "They were just playing with us?! Damn you both!"

Just then, the manager came rushing to us and asked, "Are you all okay?"

We nodded, and I decided to apologize, "Sorry, we weren't be able to secure it."

We all looked down in shame and anger. Gary's anger was the most visible among all of us.

She smiled and said, "It's okay, as long as all of you are safe. Now, we can't turn the time, can we? Cheer up, all of you." She patted Leaf's shoulder and walked away.

Just then, Gary's mobile rang. He took it out from his pocket, and there was picture of Jerry on it. He swiped the green caller buttona and let it on loudspeaker. He muttered, "Hey."

" _What happened, Gary? Did the mission not go well?"_ he asked with concern.

We weren't even feeling it to reply, but Leaf, somehow, managed to say, "Sorry. But this time, we failed. We weren't able to protect it from Team Cosmic."

" _Oh, don't worry about that, I saw everything. You all did an amazing job… You all were close and tried your best, but they had it all planned_."

I questioned, "How did you watch?"

" _That area is under surveillance, my dear. Anyway, don't be depressed, you all, they just got lucky. There is one more exhibition coming soon. I am searching for the details, which I will be sending you shortly,"_ Jerry informed us.

Gary said, "We are not depressed, we are just angry, that's all."

Jerry agreed and ended the call. Ash spoke up, saying, "Guys, they are not worth our anger. Let's show them next time."

"Pika!" Pikachu assured us.

We all nodded. Yeah, it's alright. It's not like this was our last chance. We have many more ahead of us.

We went to the Pokémon Center and got one room, as it was the only room available. It had two bunk beds. Leaf and I took the upper bunks and gave Leaf and Gary the lower ones. We were back to normal in no time.

 _I swear the next time will be different and we won't let them steal it from the next place._ _You just wait, Brian and Miette. Next time, you will be the one to suffer the loss._

* * *

 ** _Mmm...well? Loved it? Liked it? Disliked it? Hated it? What exactly did you feel after reading this one?! C'mon, do tell me. (Since, I didn't think it was that much awesome, though...personal opinion.)_**

 ** _And sorry! I don't really know how to describe fighting scenes! That's the best that I could come up with! And hopefully, you all get it...it's kinda tough, y'know! And since most of the time, Dawn and ash are fighting, so I thought, why not make Leaf and Gary do it instead? 'Cause that would be injustice on their part, correct me if I'm wrong! ; D_**

 ** _Personally, I loved Leaf's flirting back to Gary's flirting! I was like squealing like an idiot and laughing my butt off! Actually, I had written this long, looooong back, so when I was proofreading it, I was like 0_o "how the heck did I come up with that?! Woah, I don't even remember!" Was my my literal thought! I hope even you guys loved it, as much as I did._**

 ** _Actually...I have already completed writing the entire story! I mean, I'm done with all the chapters! I wont tell you exactly how many...But...I can assure you that it's a 40+! So, still a long way to go, huh? I thought that I'd update atleast 20 chapters in 2017...But, oh well. Cross your fingers that I'll atleast update till 20 this year...'cause my twelfth will be even more busier than this one since I have to prepare for my medical entrance exam...*sighs* I'll try to do how much ever I can._**

 ** _And...one more bad news...you can skip this part of you want...But, I won't be able to release a new chapter on my sixteen birthday, I guess...Since I'll be having my prefinals during that time...but, no need to_** ** _worry! I'm not sure about it, myself but I'm saying this beforehand, so that you guys won't get upset or anything! Sorry, again!_**

 ** _Damn, my author note seems even larger than the chapter content, but it's alright, since I wanna talk my heart out to you all, because I come back always with a large gap! So...comment!_**

 ** _Favourite, follow and review! *victory sign* ( damn, why can't we use emojis, here?!)_**

 ** _See y'all, later! Tata, bye-bye! And love you, guys! Uh...And cross your fingers for an early update..?_**


	14. An Addition of2?

_**Hola, peeps! : p**_

 _ **How are you all?! I know, I know...I said that I won't be updating, today but...I get really excited at my b'days! So, I couldn't help but update it! Damn, I get really too ecstatic whenever I receive bunch of birthday wishes! Yeah, today is 25 February and I finally turned 16! Yay! (Not that much of a big deal but...I heard many people say it's exciting, I don't know if it's true 'cause I get exhilarated every birthday of mine! Hehe! : p)**_

 _ **But, you know what? I share my birthday with my elder sissy, who's exactly three years elder than me! So, I receive wishes which are directed for both of us! But, I really enjoy it with her because we get to have a more luxurious party than my younger bro and sis, since we both are born on the same day bit different years! Haaha, you guys get it, don't you? : D**_

 ** _Again, I'll be replying to you all through my reviews since I don't really have much time. I'll quickly give you all a response._**

 _ **twilight sparkle**_ _ **:** Oh, thanks! Glad that you enjoyed reading! Sure, if I ever need your help, I'll definitely ask you! And Yeah, I love those two chocolates as well! They are my top favs!_

 _ **DarkestLightOfHope** : Yeah, Dawn can do it! Even I enjoyed reading their scenes! And Yeah! Those stupid exams have to come only at the wrong time! ; p_

 _ **NostalgicMermaid**_ : _Hahah, I was quite confused at first when I saw such a long review from a **guest** bit when I started reading it, when I read the word 'hella' I knew it was you. Actually, I read reviews from the bottom. So, I knew it was you! And you know, I really enjoy reading your reviews because you tell me which part you like and all, just like how I review! So, all in all, I'm glad that you enjoyed reading! ; )_

 _ **pearlshippinglover** ; Thanks for the review! See, I posted a chapter in advance for my birthday! ; D_

 _ **Well-wisher (guest)**_ _:_ _Thanks a million! You were the only one who replied to my question! So, thanks a lot for the suggestion!_

 _ **Anica123** : And idiot, just you wait! I'm gonna send you a veeeeery long text on your mobile! And moron, you could just give a call to me and whenever I was free I'd call you back! Anyway, you just go and check your mobile, first! ; p_

 ** _You know what, guys? This chapter may appeal the contestshipping fans! Hehe, your long awaited chapter is finally here!_**

 ** _So, guys, go ahead and read the chapter! : D_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter - 14**_

 ** _An addition of...2?!_**

It was eight in the morning and we were now in the Pokémon Center's dining area having our breakfast. Yesterday's defeat was quite a blow to all of us, but it made us more determined than before to keep working hard towards our goal. We learn from our failures, after all.

Yes, we regretted what had happened the previous day, but we weren't as depressed as we should have been because we still had two chances, which we were going to use very efficiently. So, we were pretty good.

Just then, my mobile rang, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at the screen, which was right next to my plate, and, to my surprise, it was my mom. I swiped across the green button and greeted, "Heya, mom!" I put the mobile next to my ear.

"Piplup!" The penguin waved.

" _Well, hello, Dawn and Piplup, too!_ " she greeted back. I didn't put it on loudspeaker since Ash and the others were right in front of me. I couldn't take the risk of them hearing something embarrassing by mom, especially Ash. I shuddered at the thought of him smirking at me and teasing me every time he remembered. Damn, that would definitely be awful!

I raised my eyebrow, suspicious. "So, mom, why did you call? You usually don't call me when I am on missions." I put a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. The coldness froze my mouth, sending shivers down my spine.

She replied, _"Oh, yes, you see, the Twinleaf Festival is just one week away-"_

I interrupted, my eyes lit up, "Oh, yeah, the Twinleaf Festival! It's here already?!" I could see that the other three were startled by my sudden outburst. I gave them an apologetic smile amd listened to what my mom had to say.

" _Yes, it is and this is the first time you are not going to be here to celebrate it. I was asking to see whether or not you are going to come. Though, I'm fully aware that there's hardly a **0.01** % chance of you coming, but I decided to ask you nonetheless."_

I sighed, as I said, distressed, "I don't think… I will be able to come… I am still on this dumb mission… but I really wanna come… Damn, why does this happens to me?!"

I could hear her sigh. " _It's alright. Everyone here will miss you, though."_

Just then, an idea stroke in my mind. My eyes sparkled as I suggested, excitedly, "Hey, then… How about I come the-"

 **"** _ **Don't** you even dare to think about taking a leave in the middle of your work,"_ she interrupted in her most stern voice. Damn, she could get really scary when it was about my work.

I pouted as I heaved a sigh. "Fine."

" _Anyway, where did you put the decorations that we bought last month for this event? I searched for them in the store room but it wasn't there…,"_ she asked.

I replied with my hand underneath my chin, thoughtfully, "Uh… I think… I put them above my cupboard… yeah, they're there. Just check once."

 _"Alright, take care and good luck with your mission."_ She disconnected the line. Damn, she cut the call before I could tell her bye. Sometimes, it makes me wonder… What kind of a mom is she?

I kept it on the table and saw three of them giving me questioning glances. Oh, yeah, they didn't hear the conversation with my mom, so it would obviously leave them curious. "What's up, Dawn?" Gary asked as he took a bite of his wafer biscuit.

"Piplup?" Piplup questioned.

I sighed in despair. "The Twinleaf Festival is just a _week_ away and I am _not_ going to be present there, for the _first_ time _ever_! I've never been away for this event!" I said in an overly dramatic tone. Then, I pouted. "But, _unfortunately_ , I have to be, I guess."

Gary said, "Yeah, I remember… That festival happens every year, right?"

Leaf nodded. "Yup, it happens every once in a year. Wait, you _live_ in Twinleaf Town, right? Then, how come you didn't know?"

"I had my vacations at this time of the year and I used to go visit the Kanto region." He shrugged. "You weren't present for it either, were you?"

"Yeah, I celebrated it only for seven years and then I had moved to Hoenn. You can say my memory is pretty much blurred for that part," she said.

"What exactly happens in this festival?" Ash wondered.

My left palm was resting under my chin and I played with the ice-cream glass, which was still partially full. I replied, "On the day of, people of the town organize different kinds of stalls of games, food, and many more things. All the people of the town visit those shops, and gather in front of the a tower, where everyone sings and dances. Then, the second to last event is the exhibition-" I cut myself short and my eyes widened in realization. I stood up in shock and hit the table in happiness and excitement, " _Oh, yeah!_ "

Ash raised his eyebrow, "What the _hell_ happened to you, now? And stop hitting the table in public, it's embarrassing because everyone is looking at us."

Leaf and Gary pulled me down by either of my shoulders, making me sit on the bench.

"I am just so happy! I get to attend the festival!" I pumped up my fist. "Woohoo!"

"Pip..?" Piplup cocked his head to the side, giving a look of "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Pika?" Ash's Pikachu asked the same thing as Piplup.

Ash questioned, "How are you going to do that?"

I answered with glee, "You see, by the end of the day they show everyone the creator of Sinnoh's creation trio, Dialga's statue!"

"Which means… that our next destination is Twinleaf town?"

I nodded with enthusiasm and continued, "Which also means that I will get to be present at the Twinleaf Festival!"

"Piplup!" My Pokémon high-fived me.

Leaf patted my back. "You happy, now, Dawn?"

"You can't even imagine!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, Leaf's mobile rang and we all knew who it was. She answered it, "Heya, Jerry!"

"Hello, everyone. Your-"

He was abruptly interjected by my yell. "We all know where we have to go! It is Twinleaf Town, isn't it?"

He smiled, "Well, yes. I figured that you would know, but I didn't know you would actually remember." I was about to argue, but he continued, "Anyway, you already know that the Pokémon is Dialga, so my reason to call you is meaningless, now. So, bye! And good luck."

We all thanked him and, just then, he said, "And yes, there is a surprise for you all by the end of this day!" We were about to question him, but he ended the call.

I pouted. "I hate it when people say there is a surprise and don't tell me about it."

Leaf said awkwardly, "Well, it wouldn't _be_ a surprise if they told you what it is."

* * *

We were now in the city, as Leaf had to buy some supplies from the store. I had my arms wrapped behind my head and Piplup on my top floor. When we were near the store, Leaf said, "Gary, come with me."

"But, why me?" Gary groaned, and the next thing we knew he was being dragged by her. "Save me, guys! I'm sure she is planning to murder me or something!"

I waved with a wide mischievous smile, along with Piplup. "Good luck, Gary! _Enjoy!_ "

"Pip, pip, Piplup!" I high-fived him.

Ash asked, "Do you want to stand here or go somewhere else?"

"Pika-chu?"

I turned to him and said, "Sure. I would love to walk rather than stay at one place. That is one thing which I really can't do!"

I matched his footsteps, as I was walking by his side with the same position as earlier. Pikachu was on his right shoulder, where he was munching on his ketchup sachet. I laughed, as his whole mouth was covered with it.

I took out a tissue paper and wiped ketchup off. I ruffled his hair and smiled, "You are so cute!" He blushed and turned away. I couldn't help but laugh.

We went further and saw that we were on a bridge, so we decide to have good look at the sea beneath us. I leaned on the railing and breathed in the fresh air. Suddenly, a question popped in my mind, so I decided to ask, "Hey, Ash?"

He hummed, "Hm?"

"Where do you live in Kanto?" I wondered.

He closed his eyes and asked, "Why do you wanna know? You are not planning to rob my house, are you?"

My eyes widened and said, "Heck, _no!_ Why in the _world_ will I want to do that? Forget it. I want to know it because you know almost _everything_ about me and… I don't know even a _single_ thing about you, _except_ your full name!"

He still had his eyes closed and questioned, "Where does Gary live?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Why are you asking m-"

He hissed, "Just say it, already."

"It's such a simple question! You think I won't know that… I am his bestie! Of course-"

He said, frustrated, "I didn't ask you about his and your history, did I? No, right? Then, answer the question I asked!"

I was startled by his voice and stuttered, "A-alright!" I cleared my throat and continued, "He lives in Pallet Town!"

"And what is my relationship with him?"

I answered, as if it were the most obvious thing, "Best friends! You both grew up together, right?"

"Then, you got the answer for your question," he replied.

I was about to ask what he meant by that… but slowly, I put the pieces together and displayed an expression of realization. "Oh… so, you are from Pallet town!" I felt so stupid, right now! A vein popped up in my forehead. "Then, why didn't you say it before?!"

He smirked. "I wanted you to use your brain." He sighed. "I didn't know you were that stupid. I thought you would've figured it out when I asked the first question. But, I guess this is you, the one and only chatterbox."

"Hey! Don't waste my brain cells over such small things!" I yelled.

"Don't shout like that. We're gaining attention, you know?" he replied.

I huffed and crossed my arms. I could see Piplup and Pikachu laughing their butts off at my… stupidity? "Hey!"

* * *

When Leaf and Gary had returned from the store we went back to our rooms to pack our stuff, and when we were done, we left the centre and went on our way to the Twinleaf town.

As were walking in one of the forests, Leaf was looking at the map. I peered over her glanced at the map in her hand. I asked her, "So, when are we going to reach Twinleaf town?"

She replied, "I think that after we cross this forest, we will reach Pastoria City, and from there… we have to cross Jubilife City, then there is a long walk and we will be in Twinleaf Town!"

I frowned. "Isn't there any other short way? If we follow that route then we won't even reach it on time!"

Leaf looked at the map, again, and pointed, "Oh, yes. There is one way. We could take a direct ferry from Pastoria City and then we will reach Twinleaf Town quickly."

I nodded in excitement. We would be there in just some days! Yay!

Suddenly, Lucario popped up from his Poké Ball. I looked at him, confusion. "I didn't call you, Luca-" I was shortly interrupted by his hand and kept a finger on his lips, telling me to keep quiet. I scrunched my nose. What was going on?

I saw even Pikachu's ears to perk up and I saw Ash look at him. He turned to us and whispered, "Someone is here. Be alert." We all nodded and tried to feel any presence of strangers. Just then, Lucario shot a aura sphere on a nearby bush.

As soon as he did that, a large number of people emerged from all the bushes and trees. They were all dressed in black cloaks. We gave questioning glances, but decided not lose concentration.

Before we knew it, I saw one more guy jump from the tree amd attack Leaf, which she dodged very easily and then hit him back on his face, causing him to fall down, unconscious.

"Give all of your Pokémon to us or else you will all have to face the consequences," one of them warned us, revealing to us exactly who they were.

We all said in unison, " _Poachers!_ "

I groaned. Why did they have to come now, of all times! I sighed. I guess that we would have to face them! "Damn you all," I cursed under my breath.

"Pip-lup!" He scowled and jumped on my head to let me fight with my arms. Lucario came and stood in front of me, protectively. I smiled. He was really cute, at times.

The yellow Pokémon gritted his teeth. "Pika-pika!"

The one who spoke before looked like he was the leader of that group. He smirked once again. "It looks like we are well-known among you, huh?"

I gritted my teeth, and Gary said, "We had arrested all the poachers just two months ago! How come you all were saved?"

He laughed, "We are not the poachers from this region. Now, enough of the talk, everyone, attack!"

They all charged at us with all their might and swung their arms put to punch us all. We all were able to block them. Just then, a guy came and tried to kick me but my reflexes were fast enough to dodge it and punch his stomach, causing him to hit the ground with swirls in his eyes.

As I was rubbing my hands on my victory, one more guy came from behind me and was about to hit me... I didn't have much time to hit back...so I waited for it. But… Piplup shot Bubble Beam at him, which hit him so badly that he collapsed and he flew back, hitting himself against the tree. I sighed a breath of relief and showed a thumbs up to my life saver. He grinned triumphantly.

Good job, Piplup!

They all kept in coming at us one after another, and though we were able to dodge and defeat them, they just kept coming. Even Pikachu was watching Ash's back and shot a Thunderbolt to as much goons he could. Wow… he was good!

We were all panting, exhausted from defending ourselves from them… Ash wiped his forehead and said, "We are all outnumbered by them. They are just too many… and we are at our maximum."

Gary breathed, "I… think… we… should use our… Pokémon…"

Leaf also spoke up, "No..I don't think that's a good idea… because… we don't know what they might do… What if they abducted them…?! I think we should just give it everything we have got!"

We all nodded and smiled. We turned back to the poachers and saw that still there were many of them. We had defeated almost half of them but… it was no use. It looked like they kept popping up from the trees.

Man, we have to do something! _But...I_ have an idea!

I rushed to their head and was about to attack him on his neck when he caught my hand and pushed me on the floor. It hurt like _hell!_ I got up in a sitting position and was going to stand, and he hovered over me. He said menacingly, "You think you are very smart, huh? But, don't think my allies are going to end anytime soon. There is no way such weak officers can defeat me and my team. Mwahaha!" He laughed evilly in my face.

I pinched my nose and cringed. "Ew, your mouth _stinks!_ Keep your mouth away from mine!" Everyone stopped to look at me and started laughing - heck, even his all gang members - except Ash, Leaf and this big guy in front of me. He was embarrassed and at the same time angry.

Gary said while laughing, "Got insulted by a girl! Ha, in your face, you stinky!" I looked at Leaf, she had an expression of _"yuck,"_ and Ash was shaking his head, probably thinking that I was stupid and wondering what was I doing here.

Their head bellowed, "Enough, you all!" He turned to me and bent down, again before he continued, "You think, it's funny, huh?"

I corrected him, "It's not funny, it's _disgusting!_ " I turned the other way. He was about to say something, and that was when Piplup pecked him. I quickly got up and pointed my gun at him and said, "You're under arrest."

He laughed and then threw a sudden kick at me, which I dodged by jumping backwards. Just then, down more came upon me and I had to hit them, but I kept my gun back in my pocket. While I was still dodging and attacking, Ash called out to me, "What the _hell_ were you doing there?!"

I replied, "Just thought that _might_ work, but..." He rolled his eyes and continued his fight as well. We had reached our limits, but they were all just... never-ending! They didn't stop attacking… they kept on coming..!

We were all breathing heavily, tired from doing so many stunts and blows… We were not usually this exhausted by just this much… I think was because we hadn't had out lunch and we weren't able to take enough rest. Or else we would have them tasting the dust!

We all stopped for some time.

I was getting irritated because of them… how many were they, exactly?! C'mon, we had had enough of it! Just give us a break!

"Looks like you all might need some help?" I heard someone say. It sounded like a feminine voice. I looked up and saw a girl with two brown pigtails with a bandana wrapped around them, standing on a tree branch. Who was _she,_ now?!

I heard one more male voice from the other tree. "They _might?_ Haha, they _need_ help!" It was a boy with green hair.

Who the heck were they?! They were waiting for a response, so I slowly nodded my head. They jumped from the tree, kicking two guys in the process.

I glanced at the Leaf, Gary and Ash and saw that their eyes were widened in shock. I turned my attention back to those two and saw them beating those people with speed and power… Once they were done with one, they started hitting many guys at the same time...! The girl with the bandana held two of the poachers with either of her hands and smashed their heads, causing them to get swirls in their eyes. The green-haired boy landed punches and kicks at five people, together! My mouth was agape… How could they do these all stunts?!

Even we could do that, but… it was just that… I didn't expect them, the normal people, to perform like this! Who were they? Citizens of the nearby city? Or the living members of this forest? Even if they are... _how_ were they be able to fight like this?!

Whoever they were, but I admitted, "Those two are... _awesome!_ " The other three nodded and Piplup repeated, "Pip-lup!"

The next thing I knew they were running their palms, triumphantly. None of them were left, anymoee...only their leader was standing there...wait.. is he escaping? Gary quickly jumped in front of him and said, "Now, where do you think you are going, stinky? We won't let you escape this easily." That man laughed nervously, with no words to utter. He continued, "You are under arrest, for real this time!" He pointed his gun on his head and raised his hands up in defeat.

Just then, a huge helicopter arrived, which I think was of SBI and may people came down by that ladder. They took all those away in their aircraft. I decided to ask them, "Umm...who are you both? You both were fighting very awesomely!"

The two pigtailed girl was wearing a red shirt with a navy blue semi-circle on it, a yellow fanny pack, white and navy gloves, a white mini skirt over dark blue cycle shorts, and black ankle socks along with red shoes with black and yellow stripes. She came forward and introduced, "I am May Maple!" She let out her right hand, to which I shook, "Nice to meet you!"

I said, "I am Dawn Berlitz and this is my Piplup! Great to meet to you, too!"

"Pip-lup!" He greeted.

Thw green-haired guy, was dressed in a black, plain, half-sleeved T-shirt and blue trousers, with fingerless gloves and white shoes. He flicked his hair and said, "My name's Drew, Drew Hayden! A pleasure to meet you!"

I shook his hand, too and said, "Likewise."

"Drew, May, I didn't know you were in Sinnoh!" Gary exclaimed. Wait a sec… I knew him! He is the same guy, whose picture I saw that day when I was helping them clean their room!

"We are here for some work…," May replied.

Drew started, "Well, Gary, is _she_ the girl who m-" he said, pointing at Leaf. His mouth was shut off by Gary's palm.

Gary shrieked, "Shut up, you stupid!" May and, surprisingly, Ash laughed at the two.

May asked Leaf, "Well, what is your name?"

Leaf replied, "Leaf Green… wait… are you from Hoenn, by any chance?"

May nodded and asked, "Yeah, why?"

She snapped her fingers. "Ha! I knew it! You studied at Hoenn High, didn't you?" She nodded again, and Leaf continued, "Even I studied in that school! And there is no doubt, I saw you once or twice!"

May stomped her fist on her palm, "Oh, yeah… I remember you!" They both smiled in satisfaction. Jus then, she turned to Ash. "Hey, Ash! Nice meeting you, again!"

He replied, "Same here."

"Pika!"

Drew removed Gary's hand from his mouth and teased, "Ash, didn't you miss us?"

Ash shrugged and said, "Who would like to miss an airhead like you?"

The green-haired slapped Ash's back and wrapped his arm, around his shoulder. He said, "You never change, huh?"

"You wouldn't like the changed me, would you?" He crossed his arms. Drew agreed, "Of course… you would be weird, then!" They both started chuckling and gave each other a hug. Gary came and joined them in a group hug.

May whined, "Hey! Drew, allow me to hug Ash and Gary, too!" They all pulled away and May ran to hug Gary, he was almost lost his balance.

He teased, "Nice to meet you, too, bandana girl!" When they moved away, she went and hugged Ash… this was the _first_ time I had seen him hugging a girl! Was he into girls, too? Man, I don't know why, but I kinda felt _angry_ at him… but why? ...Ah, forget it. I shouldn't care.

They both pulled apart and I saw her rub Pikachu's head, greeting him, too. Just then, my phone rang and took it out, to see that it was Jerry. What did he want, now? I answered, nonetheless. I greeted, "Hey, Jer! What's up?"

I let it on loudspeaker and heard his voice. " _Well, hello, everyone. Have you met Drew and May?"_ How did _he_ know their names and why was he asking this?

Drew replied, "We are here, Jerry!"

May waved. "Hey, Jerry!" We all wore confusing glances, how did they know him?! Who were they?! I know, this is the third time I am asking this, but I don't care… I won't stop this question until I find an answer.

Leaf wondered, "What is going on, Jerry?"

Jerry cleared his throat, " _I have an announcement to make, you four. Meet May Maple and Drew Hayden, your new companions, who are going to accompany you all for the rest of the mission."_

My reaction to it was pretty simple: _"What?!"_

* * *

 _ **Hahaha, I was really laughing when I read the end part! I know, it's pretty rude for her to shout in front of them but...anyone will be shocked if a new member was being recruited without even a warning! So, Dawn was pretty cool, wasn't she?**_

 ** _And damn, How was it? Are you all happy? Now that May and Drew have also joined the team? Actually, even I like it more since those two have been as added in the team! Wohoo!_**

 ** _Y'know, I was literally laughing like an idiot at the part where Dawn was all like "ew! your mouth stinks!" Sheesh! It's been almost six months, I guess since I have last written this chapter, so my memory at this part was pretty blurry! How did you all find this scene?_**

 ** _Anyway, I'll ask you guys again! If you can answer, then please do so...should I keep Paul as the villain or an OC? If you don't answer then, I'll be leaving it as it is, I mean, an OC of mine as the villain._**

 ** _Can you guys imagine that it's been exactly TWO years since I posted this story and only FOURTEEN chapters were published?! I thought I'd complete this story by this time but...life gets way too much in the way, isn't it? Sorry, people, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to complete this story by my next birthday as well... Since, my coming academic year, that is, 12th grade is gonna be as busy as hell! 'Cause, I need to prepare for my finals as well as the toughest medical entrance exam...(I'm serious...it's really difficult!) So, I won't be having this website on my schedule and won't be signing in the account very often...but, you can expect some chapters. If I'm lucky enough, I'll somehow update it! No need to worry! : p_**

 ** _Anyway, that's not important for now... you guys enjoyed it, didn't you? Then, go ahead...Favourite, follow and review!_**

 ** _If you laughed your head off while reading this chapter, then type your review below!_**

 ** _Later!_**


	15. It takes Two to Tango, doesn't it?

_**Hola, ppl! ; p**_

 _ **I'm back with the new chapter fifteen! Hopefully, you all will enjoy it! This chapter is longer than previous ones...maybe around 6, 500 words to be approximate, excluding the authors note!**_

 _ **You know, for the first time, I've uploaded chapters of two stories, simultaneously! I've uploaded chapter fifteen of this story and third chappie of Our Sakura Tree! I hope you all are happy with this much! I read many people wanting to read that story, so, I decided to update that one as well! : D**_

 _ **Actually, there are more twenty five chapters of this story and it's a still long way to go! So, I'm hoping to update the chapters of this story as quick as I can, whenever I get time. But...it'll be really tough to update any chapters since my twelfth grade will be starting in two-three days and it is going to be busy as hell! But, I'll try my level best! : )**_

 _ **Ah, enough with that crap! Now, onto the story! ; D**_

 ** _Sorry for not replying to any of the reviews of yours! I didn't get time since I had my final exams just a week ago! So, I got my holidays, now but...my school will be starting from Monday! So, I'll try to reply! : p_**

 ** _And...whoa! This story has got 184 reviews, so far?! Oh my gosh! That means only more sixteen reviews to touch 200! Woaah! Can't wait for that time to arrive! : p_**

 ** _Oh, fine, fine! Go ahead and read!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 15_**

 ** _It takes Two to Tango, doesn't it?_**

"What?!"

Though, I didn't mean to sound rude, it was a reflex reaction. I turned to my group and apologized. "Sorry, that's not what I meant." Drew and May nodded, understanding the situation.

I turned my attention back to the mobile phone and said, "Jerry! Are you serious?! I know they are very awesome, and I admit it, too but... it's just too... unexpected!

Jerry replied, _"It's not unexpected, Dawn. It's the surprise I was talking about in the morning_." He laughed.

I was still surprised by this surprise and muttered, "A warning would have been nice." But what'd happened had happened, now there's no way I could refute. I shook off my shocked expression and smiled. "Alright. Let's forget about it! The more the merrier, huh?"

" _Exactly! Anyway, stay focused on your mission. Bye!_ " He disconnected the call and I kept my phone back in my pocket.

I turned to the new members and smiled. "Welcome to the group."

They both returned the smile. "Thanks!" May replied, and Drew nodded.

Leaf said, with exhaustion audible in her voice, "Guys, I think we should set out our camp, here... 'cause it's almost night and we haven't even had our lunch yet." Gary and I nodded, agreeing with her.

We all set up the camp as May and Drew went to retrieve firewood. When they returned, Ash and Gary began burning it with the help of their fire types. Leaf, on the other hand, was busy cooking the food. I went to her and offered, "Need some help?"

She shook her head, "No, it's alright."

I pressed, "C'mon, Leaf, I know you are tired! I can give you a helping hand! Also, if we do it together, then it will be ready in a shorter amount of time."

She sighed, nodding and said, "Alright. Promise that you will just give me the things I need and nothing else, okay?" I nodded and started doing what she had asked me to do.

Just then, May came and said, "I will help, too!" She didn't even wait for Leaf's response before she started helping her with cutting the vegetables. _Why can't **I** do that?!_

When the dinner was ready, we ate it quickly. When we were done with that, we all sat on the logs that surrounded the fire. I was sitting with Leaf, Ash with Gary, and May with Drew. "Hey, how do you four know each other?" I asked, looking at Ash, Gary, May, and Drew curiously.

Gary replied, "You see, we were childhood friends!"

Leaf asked, "But, aren't May and Drew from Hoenn region? Then, how come?"

"I met them when I had gone to Kanto region with my dad for business purpose. I guess... I was just seven years old back then. My dad had gone for a meeting of his and he left me in our hotel room. But since I was really bored, I wandered into a nearby park. That's when I saw these two weirdos playing in the mud!" Gary laughed. "You can imagine how their hair and their whole bodies were covered with wet mud! When we introduced ourselfes, they pulled me into their stupid little game. At first I was unconvinced with that idea, but after some time, even I started enjoying it! It was one hell of a day!" Ash and Gary started laughing, probably because of their memory, at which Drew joined in.

I couldn't help but picture all of three of them with their hair covered in wet mud and their clothes, brown and sticking to their body... with their childish faces, chubby cheels as a bonus... they might have looked so cute! Awww. I couldn't help but compliment, "You all might've looked extremely cute!"

Leaf nodded, "Yeah! Why didn't you three take a picture?"

"Why, does Leaf want to see my cute childhood picture, huh? Should I take this as an indication that you are attracted towards me?" Gary asked, his eyebrows wiggling.

May shook her head and said, "Gary is always the same, I guess."

I was actually waiting for Leaf's reply because I wanted to see whether she would flirt back or not. I was looking at her intently. Finally, Leaf responded, "Let's see... I think...in childhood, everyone kid is very cute... and even you might have been, so I was just curious. And.. about that attraction? I have got to admit that there _might_ be a slight chance of that possibility."

The way she said it made everyone's jaw hang open. Even _Gary_ was shocked. Drew was the first one to recover, and he exclaimed, "It's the first time ever that I have seen a girl stand up to Gary's charm like that!"

I was staring at Leaf, wide-eyed. Wasn't she going to take back her statement?! Just then, she seemed to realize what she had said, as her eyes were now as big as plates and she slowly turned her head to me. "Wh-what did I say just now?" she asked me with a cautious tone, whispering.

I had been waiting for this moment. I cupped her ear with one palm and whispered, "You practically admitted that you are attracted towards him." Her eyes widened even larger - that is, if it could more that it already were - and pink colour tinted her cheeks. She glanced at me, again, and I nodded.

She stammered, "I-I-I..." She quickly went to Gary and grabbed his collar. "Forget what I said. That was nothing! It meant... nothing! Absolutely nothing! I wasn't aware of what I was saying!" Then, she turned to others and said, "I wasn't thinking properly, alright? Forget everything just happened!"

Gary caught her wrists and pulled them away from his collar, but still having his hold over them. He smirked with his eyes closed. "Actually, Leaf, now there's no way I can forget what you said, because.. .how can I possibly forget it, when you admitted that you are attracted towards me? Sorry to say it, but, I can't just forget it.. .though, I can I ignore it.. for now, at least!" He winked as he said said the last few words.

Leaf blushed and staggered over back to her seat next to me. I glanced at everyone to see their expressions. May and Drew were shocked but were smiling. But before I could see Ash's, he had cleared his throat. "So," he said, turning to other to the new duo, "why were you appointed with us and how?"

May said, "Duh. You all needed more help that that!"

Ash glared at her and said with a straight face, "I need a logical answer."

She winced, but smiled, "I guess, I missed this." Ash didn't say anything but turned to Drew, expecting an answer from him.

Drew replied, "Actually, she is almost right. Let me explain. We both were free from our work and thought we could have a vacation or something. But... just then, we got a call that we were on a new mission in Sinnoh, so... here we are. We were assigned because it seemed like you all needed some more help. And also, when we heard that Gary and you were currently working on it, we couldn't possibly refuse."

"Oh," was everyone's reaction, and we all nodded in response.

"Well, who knew that those two were travelling with their beautiful girlfriends?!" The bandana-wearing girl winked.

It caused the four of us, to widen our eyes at their implication and I could feel blood rush to my cheeks. I could see the other three blushing as well. Before I could get a clear view of Ash's blushing face, he turned his face the other way. Darn, I really wanted to see that!

Leaf shook her head continuously and said, immediately, "No, no, me and Gary aren't in any sort of relationship!"

"Oh, yeah? But, I don't remember saying that you were _Gary's_ girlfriend... you could even be Ash's, y'know," May said, smirking.

She blushed, harder. "Eh? I-I guessed it! That you'd pair me up with Gary! Because Ash and I don't really give off the feeling of a couple!" she explained, feeling embarrassed.

"Mm, point." She nodded as she pouted and continued, "Man, I really thought you were Gary's girlfriend!"

Drew laughed. "But, wasn't it obvious that they weren't together, considering the events of the last ten minutes?"

A look of realization appeared on her face and nodded. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Anyway, do you wanna say something, Gary?"

He crossed his arms behind his head and said, "Well, what can I say? Sooner or later, that's bound to happen." He shrugged and turned his head the other way. Way to go, Gary!

I glanced at Leaf and saw her blush lightly. But I turned my attention to May when she asked, "Well, Ash, is Dawn your girl?"

Ash scoffed, "Oh please, why would I get a girlfriend like _her_? She is annoying."

I could feel a nerve tick off. _He always tends to get on my nerves, doesn't he?!_

I turned my head with a fake, forced smile. Now, my cheeks were hot because anger was bubbling inside of me. With a smile, I said, with sarcasm dripping from my voice, "Yeah. Why would _he_ get _me_ as his girlfriend? Because in his eyes, I am _annoying, strange, stupid, noisy_ and who _knows_ what more?!" I let out those words with my teeth gritted. I continued, "Even _I_ don't wanna have a boyfriend like him! Heck, I don't even need one."

"Can you keep your mouth under control for _once_? I have noticed that since the beginning of this mission, you have never been quiet... your tongue just goes on without any halt. I am sure that it gets rest at only one time of the day, and that is at night. Geez, learn to reply in short sentences." Ash frowned.

I clenched my fist so hard that my knuckles turned white. I said, "Who in the world asked for _your_ opinion, huh? As long as I remember, _I_ certainly did not not. Why does it matter to you so much?! It's my mouth, so I will speak _however_ and _whenever_ I want. It's not like every person is the same. I love talking and I will do so. If you don't talk much, that doesn't mean that I have to talk less." I released my breath and frowned, turning the other side.

"See, _this_ is what I was talking about. Anyway, forget it. Let's keep our own thoughts to ourselves about each other because _this_ is what it results in." The raven-haired man got up from his seat and started walking away with his hands shoved in his pocket. "I am going for a walk. C'mon, Pikachu." The yellow Pokémon followed him.

I saw the rest of the group's faces, surprised and disappointed. Even Pikachu and Piplup had stopped by and had heard the entire conversation. Gary stood up and pointed his thumb to the way that _that_ jerk had gone. "We'll go along with him. See ya!" While going, he pulled Drew up and make him stand, and then the two casually walked where Ash had gone just a few seconds ago.

May cleared her throat and coughed. She turned to Leaf and asked, "Is this normal?"

Leaf smiled, a bit sadly, and said, "Unfortunately, it is." Then, waving her hands, she said, "But they, do get along well... _sometimes_."

The former nodded and eplained, "That could be considered normal, because this is Ash, we are talking about. He isn't as social as you think is with... girls, actually."

"Guys, can we _please_ not to about him? I don't feel like hearing anything about him," I muttered. Piplup had now come to me and was sitting in my lap. I played with him, and slowly petted his head.

"Alright, we understand," the green-eyed girl agreed. "Anyway, we know about how Drew met those two... but what about you? Are you their childhood friend as well?"

May tittered and responded, "Nah, I am not Ash's childhood friend. Actually, you see, me and Drew were actually friends since toddlers. So, we know each other pretty much. Hmm.. I guess.. two years ago, when we were on a mission in Hoenn region, Ash had been assigned to work with us... during that time, I got to know him even though we didn't talk much, just because he usually was with Drew. But, he was a very good friend. He was ready to give up his life in need for our protection... he is pretty reckless, too... and has a very strange personality. He even used to tease me a bit, but we had heart-to-heart conversations, sometimes... about certain matters. I must admit that he is one of the best guys a girl could get." She paused and the never said, "Well, I said too much about that jerk already. Now, I will tell you about Gary."

Actually, I hadn't noticed that I had all my attention focused on her words. From what I had seen, Ash obviously disn't seem to match any of that character traits mentioned by her. Humph.

 _But maybe, Dawn, you don't know him that well... that's why you are saying this? Maybe... if you get to know him better... then... you might understand him and his way of understanding things?_

 _I guess..._

Leaf interrupted her with, "Yeah, sure... but, how did you meet Gary? I am certain that he couldn't have possibly come to Hoenn because most probably he was on some missions here!"

She laughed and waved her hands, "You think he wouldn't do that if both of his buddies were together after a long time... and when it was a perfect chance for their little reunion? Of course, he would! And he did. He came to pay us a visit, all the way from Sinnoh to Hoenn. He-"

I interjected with, "Oh... so that's why he went! I remember... We were on a mission at that time and he took a leave for three days. When I asked him, he said that he didn't want to be left out. I didn't understand, at that time, but now, I get it."

"Yeah, he had come for three days. Actually, when I first met him... it was by accident. We both bumped into each other in the Pokémon Center, and he accidentally spilled his cold drink over my top, which resulted in a huge argument. We didn't like each other, but slowly, we resolved our problems and he seemed like a good big brother... Whenever we met, we teased each other. He has a number of plus points! In my opinion, he gets in Ash's category... Leaf, please try to get to know him more... Once you get along with him, you will know what a diamond he is."

Leaf murmured, "I'll try."

 _Maybe I will try, as well?_

After some more talking, the boys had returned to sleep. I didn't make any eye contact with Ash, nor did I look at him or speak to him... basically, we ignored each other. For which I was very grateful, I couldn't possibly speak with him after that... _commotion._ Finally, we all decided to take a sleep as we had to move faster in the morning.

* * *

"Piplup!" I felt someone shook me gently and heard some faint noises. I clutched my eyes more tightly and rolled the other side. "Pip!" Again, someone shook me harder than before. I pulled the blanket over my head and covered it. I mumbled, very softly, "Five minutes more." And started drifting back to sleep.

"Pip-piplup!"

Suddenly, water beam was released on me, waking me up with a start. I yelled, "What the hell?!" My hair was completely drenched. I looked around to see Piplup giggling, along with Pikachu, May and Leaf. They were all surrounded around me. I crossed my arms with a 'humph'. "What a _wonderful_ start of the day."

Leaf bit her lip. "That's why people say say you to wake up early. Or else, you might have to suffer like this more than just twice!" She started laughing again.

"Piplup!" He was rolling on the ground with laughter. That guy...

"Does this happen with you almost every day?" May questioned.

Before I could answer, Leaf beat me to it. "Yeah, you can say that!" Then, both of those started laughing.

I muttered, "What amazing friends I have got." I got up and went out of the tent to see Ash, Drew and Gary having a lovely conversation.

As soon as I came out, I saw Gary wave at me and ask, "Yo! How was your morning head shower, Dawn? It seems like you were having trouble waking up, huh?" He grinned. While, Piplup came and climbed on my shoulder.

I narrowed my eyes at Gary. "I am not going to answer that," I replied plainly, and walked away. I took out my bag and yawned. "I'm _really_ sleepy. At least I will be able to sleep more comfortably at my house from now on," I muttered. I removed a towel from my bag and began rubbing my hair, drying it. Piplup went down and joined the guys.

After I was done, I turned around to go back into the tent. I saw Leaf and May doing the cooking. I quickly went in and changed my clothes from my nightdress to my normal clothes. I attached all my accessories and gadgets. While moving out, I took my mobile and unlocked it. I came out of the tent and went to where everyone were sitting.

I sat down on the ground - it wasn't dirty, a bit grassy, though - and leaned my back on one of the trees. I unlocked my phone and started playing Criminal Case. I had been stuck on level three for a while, so I could use that chance to try solving it.

"Aren't you going to help those two?" Drew asked, directing it towards me.

I didn't remove my eyes from the screen and replied, "They never allow me."

Gary, nervously, laughed and said, "It's better this way, Drew. Don't prompt her to cook!"

I tore my eyes away from the screen and gritted my teeth. "What did you say, mister?"

"Uh.. oh.. um.. nothing!" He waved his hands defensively. I shook my head and focused on the game again. Ash still wasn't ready to spare a glance at me... I didn't care, anyway. It wasn't like I was dying to make-up with him. Humph!

"Breakfast is ready!" I heard Leaf shout.

I slowly got up and brushed my pants lightly. I went in and joined the group, finding a seat between May and Gary. They had cooked bacon and eggs. We all atr it pretty fast, with some compliments given to the chefs. Once we were finished, we gathered all the items and continued on our way to Pastoria City.

"Say, aren't you gonna inform your mom that you are coming?" Gary asked, with his arms folded behind his head.

I smirked. "Nope. I am gonna surprise her." Gary nodded and smiled. I raised my head to look at the sky, just then, I saw smoke in the air. I frowned and pointed, "Guys, look!" I raised my finger towards the the source and everyone followed the trail. There were huge clouds of smoke filling the blue sky, making all of our eyes widen.

Ash ordered, "Let's go!"

We nodded and ran towards the source of that smoke. When we reached there, we saw a big mansion, where a small fire could be seen on the top of that house. Leaf whispered, "That could be dangerous!"

We quickly went and stood in front of the door. Drew climbed up the stairs to knock the door and then, when nobody answered, he rang the doorbell continuously. "Hurry up, damnit!"

Just then, the door opened and a maid greeted us, "Yes, how may I help you?"

"Come out of the house, immediately!" Gary ordered.

She looked confused and wasn't ready to let us in. "Sorry, but I guess we have to go in!" We went in and saw that they were almost ten to twelve people sitting on the dining table. Weren't they aware that there is fire in there house?!

The old man bellowed, "Who in the world are you all?! And how did you come in?!"

"Are you aware of the fact that your house is on fire?" May questioned, with an incredulous look. They all looked confused and agitated, having no clue of what we were saying.

It was getting frustrating at how unaware they were. " _Please_ , it's no time for all these queries of yours. Just get out of this house!"

One of the young girls asked, "But, _where_ is the fire?" Suddenly, we could see the first floor lit out more brightly and the red flames spreading. Some of the girls screamed and hid behind the men of the house. We evacuated them quickly out of the house before the fire could spread down on the ground floor.

Once we were out, Ash questioned, "Is everyone here? Is everyone safe?"

An elder woman, was frantically looking here and there and then suddenly charged towards the entrance, where Ash blocked her and urged, "What happened?!"

The woman broke into tears and sobbed, "My daughter is still in the house! She was in her cradle in the bedroom of ground floor! Let me go, please!" She sobbed even more and she put her face into the shoulder of one of the ladies.

The brown-eyed man assured, seriously, "Don't worry, I will get her for you." All of us glanced at him worriedly, but he just went through the doors, with Pikachu, of course.

"I'll go call the firemen," Leaf informed us as she walked away.

I was standing with the crowd, alongside the other four officers, when, just then, a little girl came and asked, "Aren't you worried about him? I have seen their girlfriends get all too worried and start crying. Why aren't you doing that?"

I waved off with a smile, "First of all, I am not his girlfriend and second, why should I be worried? I know he will come back with that baby. Also, we are working in that kind of field, where we have to face all types of dangers and problems. So, a bit of recklessness is necessary! No need to worry, right?" I winked, she just looked at us with awe.

.. _.But, why does everyone mistake **me** as Ash's girlfriend?!_

Ah, forgetit! Now's not the time for that!

"Piplup!" With a smile, he nodded.

 _We have faith in you, Ash and Pikachu!_

I turned to the others and said, "Till that time, guys, let's use our water-types to extinguish this fire!"

"Yeah!" they agreed in unison. We all let out our water-types. My Milotic, Piplup and Buneary, Leaf's Vaporeon and Azumarill, May's Wartottle and Glaceon, Gary's Blastoise and Marshtomp, and Drew's Gastrodon and Devoutt. They should be enough. "Piplup, Milotic, Hydro Pump. Buneary, use Ice Beam!"

As we were still doing that, we saw Pikachu come out of the house with the baby tied on his back. He was panting heavily and had some injured marks on his body. We all looked behind for any sign of his trainer. "Pikachu, where is Ash?" Drew raised an eyebrow.

The mother came and untied her daughter from PIkachu's back, to hug her tightly. The yellow Pokémon pointed his paws frantically at the door. "Pikachu! Pika-pika! Pika-pi!" He was trying to say us something.

"You mean, Ash.. is still in there?" I said. He nodded, continuously and pulled my pants, telling me to come along with him. I looked at others, wanting permission.

"Don't worry, Dawn, you go with him. We'll handle the situation here," May assured. Leaf and Gary nodded but Drew looked a bit uncertain. It was obvious. He was worried about me, because he didn't know how far I could go.

I shook my head, and replaced it with a determined look. "C'mon, Piplup! Milotic and Buneary, keep doing your work. I'll be back in a flash, along with Ash. Okay?" They nodded and continued their jobs. I ran inside the house.

There was fire and only fire, everywhere! The smoke released was toxic... after inhaling it, I started coughing uncontrollably. I took out my handkerchief and covered my mouth and nose. I ordered Piplup, with a bit muffled noise, "Try to reduce the fire by setting a Whirlpool around."

He came and stood in front of us, to clear the path ahead of us. "Pip-piplup!" He released the Whirlpool and splashed the fire with water, which extinguished it. I turned to the electric-type Pokémon. "Pikachu, show us where Ash is." He nodded and ran with us following him around.

Just then, we saw Ash sitting on the floor, with his back leaning on a wall and his one eyes shut and his right hand clutched tightly on his chest, sweat dripping from his hair. Wait, I could see blood flowing from his head! He was coughing continuously. We ran there and I kneeled on the ground next to him.

"Why did you come here, idiot?!" he hissed.

"Pika?" As if asking whether he was alright. I took the handkerchief, which was covering my mouth and quickly wrapped it around his head. He gave a questioning look and then realised that there was blood on his forehead.

I scoffed, "There's no time for that! C'mon, get up!" I pulled him up with his one arm. He stood up but stumbled a bit, so I put his arm over my shoulder and gave him support to walk. "Piplup, use Hydro Pump, now!" He nodded and folllowed the order.

Suddenly, I heard a noise and as I glanced up my eyes widened. A block of the building, lit completely with fire. Just when it was about to fall on us, a lightening streak hit it, causing it to shatter and fall away. I looked down and smiled at Pikachu, which he returned.

We quickly made our way out and as soon as stepped out, everyone burst into a round of applause and loud cheers. Ah, these are the times when a sudden wave of pride ushers over you! You get the feeling as if you have won a huge war and had gotten out of it safely!

I led him down the stairs and walked away from the crowd. I could see a huge rock, so I took him there and made him sit down. He leaned his back on the rock and took this time to breathe in the fresh air. I saw May and Leaf hurry to us, with concerned expressions. "Are you alright?" May questioned.

Ash replied, "Yeah." Pikachu glanced at him, worriedly, to which his trainer gave an assuring smile and kept a hand on his head.

Just then, I heard a voice. "Hey, he'll be alright! Why are you worrying about him so much? He is a man. And men never get hurt!" Gary boasted.

Leaf retorted, "Stop it. As if, they aren't humans."

"Leaf, boys have the capability to tolerate the pain. We do feel the pain but we don't like to express it," Drew explained.

"It's more of a man's pride and ego," she muttered.

I stood in front of Ash and stated, "I have three questions for you, Mister Ash."

He looked up with a raised eyebrow and let out, "Sure. Go ahead." Everyone were giving me confused glances, as to what might be my questions.

I raised my index finger. "Question number one, how did you get that cut on your head?"

He touched his forehead with his two fingers and responded, "While, I was searching for that girl, I bumped my head into the corner, pointed side of the door."

"Okay. Now, question number two, why weren't you using your water type Pokémons to extinguish the fire?" I asked with two fingers raised. He was more intelligent than that!

"I had given then to Professor Oak, as he wanted him for an experiment," he simply answered.

I looked at him, unbelievably. He could have taken another one! I shook my head and pointed to my third finger, "Third and final question: how in the world could you not use your handkerchief to cover your mouth and nose?! You knew that it was very toxic, didn't you?!" My voice increasing at each word.

He looked weirdly at me, but replied nonetheless, "I had tied the baby to Pikachu with that handkerchief. Didn't you notice?"

My eyes turned into small dots. As realization hit me, how come I didn't see that? Now, I feel like an idiot! "Geez, I knew you wouldn't notice." And I knew this would definitely come.

Another question popped in my mind and I turned to Pikachu, "How come you were able to carry a baby?! I know they are light in weight but still!" I crouched down to be of his level.

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Pika-pi!" I couldn't understand what he was saying. But, Ash decided to explain, "He is my Pokémon, I maintain them both physically and power-wise fit."

I nodded, slowly, "Oh." Shesh. He sure can be boastful at times.

Leaf brought over a first aid kit and said, "Ash, I'll dress this injury." He nodded and removed the handkerchief.

I had expected him to return it to me, not for him to put it in his pocket. It was alright, anyway, it was just a handkerchief. I could get another one. But what would he do with my handkerchief?

Just then, I saw Drew and Gary walking asked, "Where are you both going?"

Gary replied, with his hands in his pocket, "Someone has to do the enquiry, right? With all of you busy with Ash. I thought we both would go and do that, atleast."

"Yeah," Drew nodded.

They started walking again, but I stopped them. "Wait! I am coming with you!" From the corner of my eyes, I could see Ash and Leaf giving me a look, as if asling why. I jogged to where the other two were and joined them.

We went to the mansion. I saw that the firemen had already arrived and were working on their assigned task. The resident's head came over and thanked us, saying, "Thank you all, for saving our lives. We don't know how to express our gratitude." He looked humble and gentle.

The chartreuse-haired boy shook his head. "No, you don't have to. It was actually our work, so you don't have to thank us for that!"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, why in the world was your mansion in the middle of this forest?! You could have found a much better place to built it rather than here!" Yeah, I definitely agreed.

He smiled and scratched the back if his hand. "Actually, this is our summer house. We like to come here once in a while. To be away from all the people and just be in the middle of this greenery."

I decided to ask what had been on my mind for a long time. "But how did your place catch fire?"

A youngster came up, he smiled nervously and said, "By mistake, I threw my cigar on the bedsheet of my bedroom. It was by mistake, I swear!" He waved his hands.

Gary looked at him with disgust. "Dude, if you could have been more careful then, your pretty house would have been in _one_ piece right now."

"Pip," he narrowed his eyes. Guess even he is mad at him!

The head, or the old man, hit him on his head and scolded, "Yeah, our summer house would have been safe and sound!" He turned to us and apologized, "Sorry for causing you trouble." We nodded walked away to where the other three of our group were.

My kept my hands were folded behind my head as I went to where Piplup was. When we reached there, I saw a bandage on Ash's forehead, above his left eye and just below his hairline. But his bangs had seemed to cover the bandage, as just some of it could be visible. May was teasing Ash about something, to which he growled.

"Hey, Dawn! You know, you should stop fighting with Ash?" Gary whistled.

I shot my head in his direction and said, "Oh, hello! I could say the same for you! Even you should stop fighting with Leaf, sometimes."

He pouted, "Aw, but I enjoy teasing her!"

Drew wondered, "Dude, when are you going to _propose_ her? Hmm?" As he said there words, he wrapped his one arm around his shoulder and poked his cheek.

I laughed, "He would chicken out if he did that!"

The green-eyed looked at me with wide eyes and asked, disbelieving, "You mean, he tried?!" I nodded. "That's a shocker! Because the _great_ Gary Oak, never tried to propose any girl! Girls come to propose to him! That girl should be something else, then!"

I confirmed, "She _is_ something else."

"Can we _please_ not to talk about me?" the spiky-haired boy said in an annoying tone. He tried to keep his expression straight and looking annoyed, but his blush told something else.

Drew nodded. "We'll let it go... this time!" We both started laughing and did a high-five. Teasing Gary was an amazing experience. But, he took fast steps and went next to Ash. We both slowly made our way over there.

Ash was now standing, with Pikachu on his shoulder. I stood right in front of him and asked, "How's your head now?" Examining it a bit by touching that cream coloured thing, lightly. I made sure that I didn't press too hard.

He caught my wrist and held it down. "I am fine. It doesn't hurt too much." I nodded and he let go of his hold. Then, he took a deep breath, "Thanks."

I looked at him with widened eyes. "But why?"

He turned his eyes the other side and said, "If you have the brains, then I am sure you would understand."

Same old Ash. "Hey, forget it. You don't have to thank me. It was my duty to save an ally of mine! No need to worry!" I smiled.

"I said thanks, so accept it already. You don't have to be so humble, alright?" he said, frustratingly.

 _You... JERK!_

But, he is just the way he is...

I said with the same sweet voice, "I did say it was my duty, didn't I? So, don't-" I stopped muself in the mid-sentence as an idea popped in my mind. "Okay, fine. I will accept your thanks if you will do something for me." I smirked.

"Ask. I know it will definitely be something stupid since it is coming from you," he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

I folded my hands behind my back and flashed him a smile. I beamed. "Buy me a chocolate!"

He smirked. "See, I said it, didn't I?"

I looked expectantly at him and asked, "So, are you gonna buy it or not?"

He gave me a challenging look. "What if I say 'no'?"

I raised my eyebrows, teasingly. "Then, your gratitude won't be accepted. Just as simple as that." I shrugged, very innocently.

He just chuckled. "You are an idiot."

"I'll take that as a compliment, this time!" I chirped.

* * *

"Do they even look like they had an heated argument just last night?" Gary questioned.

May replied, "No. They look more like a couple... who fights one night and doesn't even remember they had fought. It's so _cute_ , isn't it?"

Leaf nodded. "Yeah. It sure is."

Drew laughed, "You both look so lovesick now!"

"Shut up!" borh of them shouted in unison.

He waved his hands, "Okay, okay! I get it... geez!" He crossed his arms.

"Who all expect them to be together by the end of this mission?" Leaf asked with one hand raised in air. "Because, I sure am." The bandana girl also raised hers.

"We are not going to be a part of this," Gary muttered. "You should be worried about your relationships more than others."

"What was it?" Leaf asked with an expectant look. "I couldn't hear you."

He waved his hands, frantically in front of his face and stuttered, "Oh.. um.. it was nothing! Nothing!" He quickly walked away from the group and made his way to Dawn and Ash.

Leaf pouted. "Tell me!"

He walked away with his hands jabbed in his pockets, "We should get going or Dawn will take our head off if we're late for the festival. C'mon, let go!"

"You should never leave a girl curious, you jerk!" Leaf yelled.

"Sorry, can't hear ya!"

"You..!" She ran and jumped in Gary's back, pulling his hair.

Drew smiled. "Now, they look like they will become a couple even before Dawn and Ash. I could place a bet on that one!"

May nodded, "I am with you. They looked like an couple to me, now! But of a different category.." Those two started laughing. "I can place a bet that this will be the most entertaining and amazing mission we have experienced till now!"

"Guess, even we could use this chance for some quality time, huh?" Drew asked as he caught May's waist and pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned forward and they kissed.

* * *

I looked around to see Gary messing around with Leaf. I chuckled... those two were like small little kids who couldn't live without teasing each other. I glanced around to find May and Drew kissing.

Oh, okay, they were kissing.

Wait...KISSING?

My eyes widened, in confusion. "Why are you both kissing?! Don't tell me you both are..."

* * *

 _ **There...done! So, how did you like it? You liked it? Disliked it? Do I need any improvements? Go ahead and type it all! I'm ready to read it all!**_

 _ **Ash and Dawn had a massive fight, didn't they? Be honest and tell me, who's side you were on? Ash? Or Dawn? I was on the latter's side! He was the one who insulted her, first whereas Dawn was quiet and didn't have any intention to fight! So, do write it in your review and tell me! Lemme enjoy as well! : p**_

 ** _How do you feel about this chapter? Now that, Drew and May have joined them as well, don't you think it has become even more interesting? I definitely felt that when I reread it! Because, Dawn and Lefa got one more person to talk with...earlier they had to talk with each other for any matter! Don't you think as well?_**

 ** _**And yeah, I have re-posted the thirteenth chapter since there were really a bunch of mistake! I have corrected all the typos and the name of Trip instead of Brian! So, go ahead and read once again, if you want to._**

 ** _Anyway, favourite, follow and don't forget to leave a review! ; )_**

 ** _Sayonara, for now!_**


	16. Oh, no! Kidnappers!

_**Hola, peeps! ; )**_

 _ **I'm back with a new chapter a lot earlier than normal, ain't I? Well...that's a good news for you! I was planning not to update but...the soone I release the chapter, the sooner I'll finish this story and the sooner, I'll focus on other stories, as well! I can't possibly keep my mind everywhere at the same time! ; p**_

 _ **You all...may find this chapter a little weirder and...illogical but that's how it goes! This is what you call 'creativity and innovation' right? Yeah, my idea of creativity is reaaalllllyyyy broad! Pun intended! Haha, lame, wasn't it? Ik! Don't remind me!**_

 ** _Oh and yes. I'll be updating the next chapter of Our Sakura Tree, really soon! Be sure to wait for that! And check it out, those who haven't!_**

 _ **And...yaaaaay! I am gonna receive the most awaited 200 REVIEWS! Damn, that's gonna be so exciting! Yay! I'm so close to recieving them! Wohooo! That's so awesome! You can't guess how ecstatic I am! And one good news:**_

 _ **"I'll dedicate the chapter to that person who'll be the lucky 200th reviewer of this story!"**_

 _ **Isn't it cool?! I'll be looking forward to your reviews! Thanks for those who have stuck together with me up until now! Thanks a million! And love you lots! Seriously, I love you guys! Thanks, again! ; p**_

 _ **Anyway, I guess, I have replied to most of your reviews...so, won't go back and tell you, again! You know what? Even I'm on Dawn's side! Atleast, Ash could've taken it positively and replied with humour instead of such sarcasm, don't you think as well? A light joke won't kill him, y'know! (I know, I look like a complete fool. Talking as if I ain't the writer but a random reviewer! But, being a reviewer to your own story before an author makes you improve your writing and judging skill, ain't I correct?!)**_

 _ **So, leaving all that dumb stuff aside...let's read the story, shall we!?**_

 _ **Actually...maybe, only "you" would be more appropriate...I can't possibly be with you, while you read thi story! I ain't any ghost, y'know! (Lame-o! Ik! I suck!)**_

 _ **Anyway, go ahead and read! : D**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 16_**

 ** _Oh, no! Kidnappers!_**

Now, our gang was walking through the woods. We were just one hour away from Pastoria CIty. I was walking with May and Drew on the left. I turned to them and aais, "So, you two are together?"

May nodded. "Yep!"

Leaf asked, suspiciously, "For how long?"

Drew sweatdropped at her tone of voice, replying, "Um... one year."

Just then, I had a question for the two idiots—I mean, Ash and Gary. "Did you two know about them?"

Gary replied, "We aren't best friends for no reason, y'know."

Ash nodded. "We _obviously_ knew."

Oh, right. Obviously, who wouldn't tell their best friends? Especially about their relationship status. Actually, they would be the first ones to to know. I can understand, afterall. I _was_ the first one to know about Leaf's many relationships.

I sighed. "Piplup?" My blue penguin looked up to see my face, as he was in my arms.

I shook my head and said, "It's nothing. I am just tired from walking." Suddenly, an idea popped in my mind. "Hey, guys! Why don't we all use our multifunctional boots to get to Pastoria city? That way we will reach early and even our energy will be saved."

"It's a bad idea, Dawn," Leaf said. "Because we don't know what circumstances might be waiting for us and these will be necessary. If the battery gets over, then it will be a problem."

I groaned. "But, we are going to be in Pastoria City. We can charge them, there!"

May pointed out, "It takes almost _twenty-four_ hours for it to charge." I winced. My luck just couldn't get any worse.

"You know, this is good for you. It's an exercise for your legs. Just deal with it and you will get used to it. Stop complaining for every little thing," Ash scolded me.

"Pika," he assured. Aw, he is just too sweet to refuse.

 _...To hell with the damn exercise._

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered. I shook my head stood upright, again and cheerfully said, "Yeah! Just one hour and we'll reach there!" I pumped my fist.

"Piplup!" He copied my actions.

"Yeah, we both will make it!"

They all sweatdropped. Drew said, "She sure knows how to enlighten her mood, huh?"

"Yeah." They all nodded in unison. Were they aware that I could hear them?

We continued walking and walking still, we didn't reach there. "Man, this sun is killing me! It's too hot. My eyes are burning!" I whined, while shielding my eyes with my hand. I wiped a bead of sweat dripping from my hair. Man... this sun!

"Here." I looked up at Ash and raised an eyebrow. He removed his cap and offered it to me. I gave him a questioning glance. "Take it."

"Pika!"

I said, hesitantly, "But, what about you?"

He turned his head the other way and said with a serious look, "Why are are you worried about me? Worry about yourself. Also, learn to not ask questions when someone offers you something. You should accept it, stupid."

I frowned. _Why is he so rude when he is doing something good? Man... He is so confusing!_ Just then, Leaf popped up and nudged the raven-haired boy. She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Ash! She is worried about you because she cares for you! And she doesn't want her love to be hit by sun rays!" She nudged him continuously.

 _What the...?! Love and all!_ I blushed hard this time and yelled, "Leaf, stop assuming!"

I could see Ash blush a bit, too and he muttered, "Whatever."

I could hear small laughs and I looked down in my arms to see Piplup laughing hard. "Pip-piplup!" I glared at him. He nodded and looked down. "Good." I felt him shake in my arms and saw that he was laughing. I ignored him.

"Anyway, wear this," he said, and put his hat on my head, walking slightly ahead of me. He put it on my head in such a way that the brim of the hat covered my eyes, preventing me from seeing.

I corrected it and yelled, "Thanks!"

"I smell romance!" May smirked. I shot my head towards her and glared at her. She innocently asked, "What? Ain't I stating the obvious?" She whistled and turned her head. I could see her laughing.

Drew laughed along with her and teased, "Dawn, be careful. Ash is very good at stealing hearts without even trying!"

Gary high-fived him and shook his head with a chuckle, "Yeah, that idiot doesn't even realise it!"

 _When will they stop it? ...Oh, I know! **...Never.**_

I sighed, but a smile crept onto my face. It was so sweet of him to give me his own cap! I removed the cap and put it on again with all my hair under the cap. It had become itchy, so I decided to insert all my hair in it. Now I felt a bit comfortable.

"You look like an idiot." I turned my head to look who had said it, and, of course, it was Ash. He had his arms crossed, and since he didn't have his headwear, his ebony hair were swaying due to wind. _Honestly, sometimes, he has looks to die for..._ I could feel him staring at me. "Chu!" I heard him chuckle.

I groaned, "You were the one who gave me this cap and now you are saying that! It's no fair!" After a second, I understood what he meant. He was referring to the way how I had put all my hair in the cap. I yelled, "Well, I didn't ask your opinion!"

He looked at me weirdly, saying, "Be quicker next time." He went away and joined Gary and Drew.

Leaf came and slapped my back. "I see some chemistry between you two!" She winked.

I frowned and said, "It's nothing like that!"

She folded her hands behind her head and whistled. "If it's nothing like that, then why did he give you _his_ cap? Mind answering?"

I was speechless and decided to agree. "Yeah, he is not as bad as I thought he was. It was...sweet for him to offer it to me," I said, smiling.

She teased, "Aw, is Dawn lost in dreaming about her love, Ash? Huh?"

May came and stood next to my other side. She asked, "Did Dawn admit that she loves him?"

My jaw dropped. "What the hell?! I do _not_ love him!"

"Just not yet! It will be just a matter of time before you realize it!" Both of them shouted in unison and ran away from me, joining the boys.

I shook my head and muttered, "Geez, talk about assumptions!"

"Lup!" I sped up and went ahead to be with them. _What if I get lost? Man, I can't take a risk of something like that!_

"Girls, you have to be alert on this path," Gary warned.

May asked, "Why?"

The brunette informed us, "A few days ago, I read in a newspaper article that there is a group of male Pokémon who are fond of kidnapping girls going through this forest."

Leaf enquired, "Then, what happened to those girls?"

"No idea, there wasn't much written in that article about the details." He shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, a bunch of Pokémon stopped us from moving forward. The group consisted of Gallade, Feraligatr, Typhlosion and Roserade.

We all gave them questioning glances, wondering why they were here. They stared back at us, focusing on something. Just then, the Gallade signalled them to do something. The other four nodded and came up to us, and the Feraligatr grabbed Leaf and put her over his shoulder and the Typhlosion did the same thing with May.

Leaf yelped, "Hey, what the heck?! Put me down!" She kicked her legs and hit the Feraligatr on his back. The water type Pokémon threw her in the air, making her shriek, but then caught her. It looked as if he was warning her to keep quiet.

May furrowed her eyebrows and warned, "What are you all doing?! Let us go!" The Pokémon carrying her growled in annoyance, which caused the brunette to be frown.

"What do you think you are doing with them?" Gary asked in a bored tone.

Drew groaned, "Don't tell me that you are that gang of Pokémon who kidnap ladies!" He slapped his forehead and muttered, "And a Roserade is one of them?"

I noticed the Roserade came to me and stared, suspiciously, with narrow lids. I squirmed under his stare. _What does he want?!_ Then, I realised that he was staring at me to confirm that I'm a girl. Piplup stood in front to me, to protect me. "Pip-piplup!" the penguin barked.

"Rose!" The grass-type Pokémon pushed him aside and went back to staring at me, again. He squinted his eyes, as if observing something. I could see all the others confused, as well.

I cleared my throat and said with a rough and hoarse voice, trying to sound like a boy. "Uh... I am a boy. Why are you staring at me like that?" _I hope he buys it!_ His eyes were fixated at me. Confused, I looked at what he was staring at.

I gasped.

I blushed, as red as I could. His eyes were fixated at my _chest_ region! From the corner of my eyes, I could see Ash trying to hide his laughter with a small amount of a blush. I turned my attention back to Roserade. He was still gaping at it.

 _I hope he doesn't realise that I am a girl_. It was a good thing that my chest region wasn't large—it was _medium,_ actually. Also, the undershirt and the vest made it seem flat. My hair inside the cap added to my looks of a boy. _Man, his stare is annoying me!_

Eventually, he turned around and ran away with our two companions. I heaved a breath of relief. "Saved," I muttered, crossing my arms around my chest self-consciously. But then, I realized that the Pokémon had taken May and Leaf along with them! I turned around to glance at the only boys of our group.

Ash cleared his throat, saying, "It's good thing that you weren't caught by them."

I nodded. "Thanks to your cap, actually."

"Or your _chest?"_ my so-called childhood friend suggested innocently.

As soon as he said that, one of my nerves twitched in pure anger. I cracked my knuckles and smiled, forcefully, "...What do you mean?!"

He squirmed back, in fear and changed the topic, "Uh... Um... any plans on how to find Leaf and May? I know, they are strong enough to rescue, themselves, but we need to find them soon!"

"Mm." The chartreuse haired nodded. _Whoa, wait, why does he appear so calm?! How can he be_ not _worried about his girlfriend?! Dude, she was kidnapped just now!_

He glanced at me and saw the disbelieving look on my face. He smiled. "Don't worry, knowing May, she will probably free herself from those Pokémon. And yes, I am worried about her, nonetheless."

I nodded. "Oh, okay." _He is definitely a psychic!_

Ash said, "I have a plan."

He quickly explained his idea to us, quickly. We all listened to him, intently. When he was finished, I wondered, "Hm... but, who will be that person?"

"Pip?" He cocked his head to the side, as confused as me.

As soon as I questioned that, all the three faces turned to me, with an evil smile and suggestive looks. "Well, what do you think?" Drew asked, with dry humour.

My eyes turned into tiny dots, _"W-what?!"_

Gary pulled my cheeks and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, c'mon! You thought one of us would _actually_ dress up as a girl when we already have one?"

Ash crossed his arms and stared at me. "You are doing it. And no, I am not asking you. In fact, it's an order."

Pikachu sweatdropped. "Pika..."

My jaw dropped. "You are making _me_ the bait?!"

The raven-haired boy shot me a look. "And now you're asking? Isn't it obvious?"

Drew came up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, flashing a reassuring smile, "You just to lure them out of their base and we will follow you when they take you away."

I nodded. _Yeah... Why am I even hesitating this much?! I am a police officer for God's sake! And... Iam not scared, actually, so I think that it's my duty to do this much for my friends._

* * *

"Dawn, you ready?"

I went and stood atexactly the place where Leaf and May were kidnapped. I was dressed in the same uniform, except that I was wearing just my black vest, no white undershirt, and my jeans were replaced with white shorts. My hair was flying wildly in the air and I held some of the locks to prevent them from blocking my view. I hadn't returned Ash's cap, yet, because it was still sunny.

I asked my blue partner, "Hey, do you think they will come?"

He nodded, "Pip-pip!" He puffed up his chest, and reassured me, "Pip-lup!"

I smiled. "Sure, you will be there to protect me!"

I could see the three boys standing behind the tree and keeping a close eye on me. They did set a tracker on me. Why were they so worried? _I can go by myself and escape from their cave, or their secret hideout_. _They should be sure of my capabilities_! _Even May and Leaf can rescue themselves! Why do they think that we can't do anything! Sheesh!_ I, inwardly, pouted.

"Will you stop daydreaming and concentrate on your surroundings?" I could hear the annoyed voice of Ash from the Bluetooth attached on my ear.

My eyebrow twitched. "I have nothing else to do and that wasn't daydreaming!" I could hear him scoff, but he didn't say anything. _Better. I don't want my mood to be spoiled._

Just then, I saw the same Pokémon from before standing in front of me, Piplup stood in front to 'protect' me and used Bubble Beam. Typholosion dodged its attack and caught him in his strong arms. Then, when the Feraligatr came up to me and tossed me on his shoulder, I acted like I was resisting its grasp. Eventually, it started carrying me on its back to its place.

I felt so useless. I could easily escape! But I can't... just for the sake of his plan! Damn. I noticed that the path was very green and calming. I could see Piplup enjoying the view, too. The place looked like a completely different part of the forest. It had off a very happy atmosphere! I decided to ask, "Hey, where are you taking us?"

The Gallade answered, "Gal!" he said in such a tone that suggested 'keep quiet' I cringed.

I crossed my arms. "Sheesh!"

"Pip!" Piplup copied my actions.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of a huge cave... It was very beautiful. Its colour was a light and dark shade mix of blue, a bit of grey on the bottom... its shape was also perfect! It looked like an animated one! Near that cave, there were a rows of tree on either sides. It looked like the trees were hiding the cave from being discovered. I was completely entranced by its beauty... I couldn't believe that a place like that could exist!

"This place is beautiful, isn't it, Piplup?" I whispered, completely mesmerized.

"Pip-lup..."

The Pokémon let me down, but held me with the Gallade's grass vines, not risking me to escape. I followed them, nevertheless. I gaped at the surrounding. Just how was this place so enchanting?! When we entered, the path was lightened up by some luminous objects... It was highlighting the way. _Man, how is this possible?!_

Then, finally, I entered the main section and saw that there were only May and Leaf, seated on a chairs made of stone. They looked like they _were... enjoying themselves?_ Man, what the heck?! As they moved me forward, the Roserade bowed and directed me towards another seat. Still confused, I followed it. As soon as the two girls me, they waved. "Hey, Dawn!"

I stared, clueless. "Piplup, what's happening?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Pip..." Yeah, right. How was he supposed to know?

Just then, the three boys entered the cave. Gary said, "Who would've thought that you all could've a place like this?!"

The four Pokémon blocked their way from further entering the cave. Drew flicked his hair. "C'mon, you're not trying to stop us, are you? They are our girlfriends, you know?"

"Rose..." The grass type Pokémon narrowed his eyelids.

Leaf and May had come forward and stood next to me. Leaf crossed her arms, "Actually, only _you_ have a girlfriend." I nodded.

Drew sweatdropped. "It gave more of an effect."

We ignored him. Just then, the Typholosion used Flamethrower on the boys, but Ash was quick to respond, "Pikachu, dodge and use Thunderbolt."

His loyal Pokémon obeyed his command. "Pika-chu!" He dodged and released his attack on the fire type, knocking him out in the process. He landed on the ground with a _thud_ and got swirls in his eye. We all sweatdropped. How could he be this weak?!

May raised her arm and furrowed her eyebrows. "Both of you stop!" She went and stood between the boys and the Pokémon. "Guys, they are not trying to harm us!" She pattend the Gallade and Feraligatr with her palms.

Gary scratched his head and asked, "Then why did they kidnap you both?"

Leaf bent and started to run a hand through the Roserade's fur, it purred in enjoyment. "You guys got it all wrong. They captured us because they wanted some special attention from the females!"

Drew crossed his arms. "How can you be so sure?"

Ash responded, instead, "It is clear that they didn't have any intention of harming them. First of all, those two wouldn't have been so happy if they were hurt. Second, see the chairs. They look like they especially made it for them, to make them comfortable. Third, there are fruits here, so is obvious that these Pokémon took great care of their needs. Lastly, those three seem like non-aggresive Pokémon."

"Pika, pika-chu!"

Hats off, to you Ash. Good explanation!

"Looks like there was a misunderstanding..." I scratched my cheek nervously.

"Pip... lup..."

Drew nodded, "So, basically, they just want to spend some time with ladies who pass through the forest. In other words, they need special attention from the females. Wow, who would be thought that even _male Pokémon_ were like that?!"

Gary laughed. "Dude, all the males are same! No matter the species, males are just the males!"

"But, these Pokémon males are a lot better than the _human_ males!" May stuck her tongue out at Drew and Gary.

Gary placed a palm on his heart. "Ouch." Then, he became serious. "Guys, we should get going or else we are sure to miss the ferry to Twinleaf Town," he reminded while glancing at his watch.

Leaf pouted. "Do we really have to go?"

"Yeah, we were enjoying our time with them!" May nodded and hugged the Pokémon more tightly. She smiled. "I have an idea. Since, you need some attention from the ladies, then why don't we give you to the Nurse Joy? She will find perfect female partners for ya!"

Leaf flashed a grin and nodded. "It's a perfect idea!"

Drew wrapped one arm around May and boasted, "She's _my_ girlfriend, after all!"

"Pika!"

Those four first glanced at us, uncertainly. Then they talked together, and then turned to us with happy and excited looks on their faces. It looked like they agreed with our decision.

We collected them in the spare Pokéballs we had, and since we already had six Pokémon in our belt, the newly collected ones vanished into thin air. They all had gone to the Professor Rowan's lab. We could collect them once we reached the Pokémon Center of Pastoria City and then give them to the Nurse there.

We exited the cave and continued our journey to the city. I saw that the sun had set and it wasn't sunny anymore so I removed the cap from my hair. Then, I turned to Ash. lHere. Thanks, once again, your cap helped me a lot."

He stared at me and said, "You can keep it and return it whenever you want to."

The yellow rodent smiled. "Pika-chu!" He was calmly seated on his trainer's shoulder.

I smiled. "No, no, it's not sunny, anymore. Besides, I want to return it to you now!" I placed the cap over his head, getting the feel of some of his hair, and I shivered.

 _Dude, what happened just now..._

I blushed, after realizing that I was still staring at his face. "Sorry."

Drew came next to me and whispered, "Dawn, you must be special."

I stared at him, confused, "Why?"

"Pip?"

Then, May stood on my right side and said, "As far as I remember, Ash is very serious about his cap. He _never_ gives it to anyone, so I was really surprised when he gave it to you!"

Gary came next to Drew and nodded, "Yeah. He would always get angry if anyone would try to touch his cap. I never experienced it... but, I saw him act like that on some of the guys, once."

Leaf, also, stepped forward next to May. She clasped her hands and said, excitedly, "I wonder why! It might be the signs of love from him! He might have a soft spot for her or something!" She smirked. "Dawn, how _did_ you to that!"

"Piplup..." Even PIplup joined them!

I could feel my cheeks burn up, and the blush form on it. "Oh, guys, c'mon! He might have felt my desperate need for that cover and he gave it to me!" I tried to reason.

"Dude, stop trying to cover up!" May teased.

I blushed more and puffed my cheeks as I stepped forward and distanced myself from them. Then, I stared at the person in front of me, though I could only see his back. I smiled and couldn't ignore that happy, bubbly feeling I felt in my stomach, thinking that he had a soft corner for me!

I knew that I was letting out that stupid smile, showing off my teeth. But, I couldn't control the _ecstatic_ feeling which I felt.

It would be so nice... to think that _Ash_ likes me! I thought he _hated_ me... but, maybe, it was his way of showing that he likes me?

 _Hey, Dawn! Don't be so sure! You might get into trouble if you keep creating those imaginative thoughts._

 _Yeah, I know. But, still! I am so happy! Ash really cares for me!_

 _Man, how can I ignore this feeling in my heart for the rest of the day! Now I have to be so careful to not show my excitement to everyone, especially these guys._

I groaned and then, sighed, dreamily.

 _Ash Ketchum cares about me and doesn't hate me!_ I couldn't help but think about the conversation I had just now with my four friends.

Now, _how_ do I get rid of this stupid smiled on my face?!

* * *

 ** _Ah...their relationship bells are ringing, now! Aren't they? Dawn's finally suffering from symptoms of love! Aah, that's so wonderful! *sighs dreamily*_**

 ** _I told you, didn't I?! This chapter was gonna be kinda weird! So...no comments, please! I just wanted to try this idea out! And a writer's curiosity to try something and ideas can never be put at hold, can they? (Talking as if I'm some famous book writer or something! Like an old lady having a hundred years of experience!) So, you found it strange, didn't you? Gah! I'm an idiot! First, I tell you not to say anything and then, I ask you your opinions! Strange case, ain't I?! Anyway, it's better to not hear anything depressing than reading some discouraging opinions! (Ik! I don't make any sense!)_**

 ** _Haha, I bet you liked the scene where the Gallade was gaping at Dawn's chest! That was hilarious, wasn't it?! Even Pokemon can understand the difference! And Gary, Ash were such idiots! Especially Ash, not defending or covering your beloved like in shoujo mangas!_**

 ** _Actually, recently, I've been reading tons of shoujo mangas mangas! Literally! I'm not kidding! I've become a huge fan of that genre! So, that's pretty much from where I get those kind of ideas! Funny, right?!_**

 ** _And...to be honest, I've started to find asking you questions quite fun! I mean, I get to read different replies from different people with different ideas! So, I've been thinking to add a question from my chapters from now on! So, I can look forward to your opinions! Yeah, reviews as well! ; P_**

 ** _So, here's a quick question: do you think Ash will fight with her again? After all the events that took place? (I'm referring to their relationship progress.)_**

 ** _Write your reviews and lemme know your opinions on how you liked this chapter! (I ain't any psychic to know your opinions with some supernatural powers! : D )_**

 ** _Bye...for now! ; p_**


	17. Cops In Action

_**Yo, people! How you doin'!**_

 ** _Ha, an early update, agaaaaaain! Yay! Right? I know how you feel! Especially, when an author who updates rarely...maybe once in twice months, suddenly experiences a change of heart and decides to give us quick releases is really joyful, isn't it? (Haha, praising myself...yet again! ; p) Anyway, hopefully you guys are delighted by this much!_**

 ** _And y'know what? This chapter will be containing action...drama...jealousy...realisation! You guys won't understand what I mean to say at the start but...by the end of this chapter, you'll be able to put the pieces, together! But, hey! Don't overcome with over-curiosity and quickly scroll down and check out what's at the end! Dearies...have patience...! (Though, I'm the type who'd definitely do that, if there was something as intriguing as that written in the Author's Note! But...don't do that! You'll kill the mood!) So, guys...wait and read! ; D_**

 ** _And yeah, I guess Ash and Dawn won't stop arguing just because they started caring for each other! Afterall, a healthy relationship needs fights and arguements! Ain't I correct? (Of course! I am! Hehee!)_**

 ** _Ooh! I'm so ecstatic that I got to read 212 reviews for only SIXTEEN chapters till now! Really awesome! You guys are really great! *thumbs up*_**

 ** _Oh, and I noticed that most of the people who reviewed are guests, since I can't thank them personally...I'll thank them publicly! Great, right? So...I'm grateful to all those guest reviewers who have commented on this story! Thanks a lot! : )_**

 ** _Hey! Go ahead and read the chapter! What are you waiting for?! Christmas?! (I'm the one who is stopping you, though! : p)_**

 ** _And please...i know, I suck at naming chapters! (I told you this before as well but...I really do know that it's lame! Uwaah!)_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 17_**

 ** _Cops In Action_**

We had reached the Pastoria City in no time. After enquiring Nurse Joy about the ferry to Twinleaf Town, we found out that, luckily, there was one in just half an hour. We wasted no time and hurried to the port, where the ships were. We had already booked the tickets, so we didn't have to worry.

" _Ferry number FY1001 to Twinleaf Town departing on 7:30 PM will be leaving in just ten minutes. All the passengers are requested to assemble near the dock."_

We went to the ship, showed our tickets, and went aboard. It was a one night journey, and we would reach Twinleaf tomorrow morning. We checked in and got two room keys, one for boys and other one for the girls. Once we set sail, people had begun to get comfortable.

I went to the deck and leaned on the railing of the boat, feeling the fresh breeze hit me. "It feels nice, doesn't it, Piplup?"

"Pip!" He nodded as he climbed up in my head from my arms. Then, May and Leaf also joined me and stood in the same position as me.

I asked, "Where are the boys?"

Leaf sighed. "They went to the food court."

Suddenly, my stomach grumbled. I blushed. I said, sheepishly, "I guess I should go join them as well."

Even my penguin's stomach growled. "Pip-lup...!" We glanced at him and laughed.

May pulled me and said, "We were here to call you, actually."

They pulled me along with them and I followed. I noticed that there weren't many people on this trip. I could maybe see fifteen-twenty people, so the deck looked kinda empty and very spacious. I could see a casino, too! As I walked through the door, I noticed that there was a... bar as well?! Sheesh.

We finally made it to the food court and saw that the guys had already occupied a table. We seated ourselves around a round table in the order: Drew, Ash, Gary, Leaf, me, and May. We all ordered something light, deciding to eat burgers and a cup of coffee. Of course, I would eat a bar of chocolate later!

When we were done with the dinner, we decided to roam around the ship and enjoy outselvedfor a while. There was even a games section, with a snooker table, a table tennis court, and many more. Ash, Gary and Drew had decided to check out the snookers and played there.

We girls decided to admire the blue sea, as the scenery was very pleasing. It somehow calmed our minds. But our peaceful atmosphere was disturbed by the noise of a... gun shot?

When we heard that our eyes shot open. Leaf asked, "What was that?!"

May suggested, "Let's check it out!" We both nodded and went further into the ship, seeing that there were six men with black masks holding guns—revolvers—in the air.

One of those asked his alleys, "Is everyone here?"

"Yes, sir. I checked the entire ship and everyone's here," one of his members responded. Then, their boss signaled them, and they all came and quickly closed all the doors.

We three could see the boys standing on the opposite side of the room from where we were. Their boss pointed the gun at the crowd and threatened, "Everyone throw your mobile phones and all the Poké Balls you have in this bag." One of his allies came and held out the bag.

Everyone was scared of the goons, and they threw their mobiles and Poké Balls in the bag, including us. "Don't you all dare use your Pokémon on us, or else you will suffer the consequences. This ferry is under our control, if anyone of you tries something clever, then be ready to meet hell!"

Leaf whispered, "Dawn, we definitely gotta do something."

May nodded. "This ferry is hijacked."

 _Great. Being held as hostage, now. Just great._ I thought, sarcastically and a little angrily, because I needed to hurry up to Twinleaf.

I stared at the surroundings, observing everything. I looked down and saw my gun inside my boots.

 _We do have guns with us, but if we were to remove and use them...the people around us will start making a fuss about it and alert the criminals that we have guns..That'd be even more troublesome!_

 _Mm...we could actually use pur Pokemon to attack them but...they have their guns pointed towards the people...if we take one wrong step, then, the life of an innocent person will be in danger. They have their fingers placed on the trigger, if we try to attack them, they might just pull it, panickingly. Darn, we gotta be extra careful..._

 _Besides there are kids in the ship as well, who get too excited when there's a fight between hero and villain, which might make them jump in and be caught by the hijackers by pointing the gun at his forehead, giving them a plus point. I definitely don't wanna face those consequences!_

 _Also, rescuing the hostages must be our top priority. Because, if we were to fight with the civillians around us, then, there's a possibility that they might get hurt even by our bullets. They'll be in danger, no matter what we do. So...I just gotta come up with a plan, which is defensive and offensive as well, right?_ **(1)**

 _But...That's definitely not as easy as it sounds!_

I switched on my Bluetooth, so that the boys could hear the me, as well. "We can't do anything right now. We just have to wait for the perfect moment. Right now, they are very alert and if we are to attack them now, they will harm these innocent people. And besides, our article number forty four states; never take action without a foolproof plan and perfect timing."

"Oh, really? You are the one to talk, who never obeyed that rule," Ash muttered, which made me frown. "And that's article forty seven not forty four."

I clicked my tongue, in embarassment, ignoring the first part. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, you guys understand?"

"Alright." I heard the replies.

"Mom, who are these guys?!" I heard one of the kids from the crowd. "They look like a bunch of idiots who like to scare people."

The head of the gang went and pointed the gun at the boy's forehead. Gary quickly went over there, and pushed the gun lightly and caught it. "Ah, this kid doesn't realise what he is saying," he said defensively. Then, he turned to the goon, shrugging. "I don't think you should play with such dangerous weapons like those."

He barked, "And who are _you_ to tell me that?!"

The brunette chuckled. "Oh, right. You wouldn't know," he muttered the last part, but then turned to him again. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." He walked away and stood with Ash and Drew again.

 _Good job, Gary._

I showed him the thumbs up and he winked at me in return. Now, to think how to attack him without him harming the crowd. I noticed that we were all circled around that gang of goons.

I kept my hand under my chin, in a thinking position. _Hmm... what can be done? Gee, it's taking more time than I thought it would._

"All of you sit down, now!" the men's head ordered.

A reddish-brown haired girl, around my age, asked, disgusted, "Down?! You mean on the _floor?!_ Hah! No way am I sitting on this... dirty place!"

He gritted his teeth and growled, "What is more precious to you, your dress or your life?! Now, sit down, all of you, without raising your voices!"

THe girl shrieked and sat down, still uncertain. We all obeyed him and sat down. Maybe this would help me to think.

"Pip?"

"I am trying to think of a solution..." I sat down with my legs crossed and a hand under my chin. I looked around all place and tried to notice something.

Then, that boss pointed at me and Ash. "Why the hell are you keeping your Pokémon out?! Didn't I tell you that the Poké Balls were to be kept in this bag!" He shouted.

Ash shrugged. "These both Pokémon dislike going in their Poké Balls."

"Pika!" The electric type scowled.

"Likes and dislikes doesn't matter here! Put them in their Poké Balls! Now!" He said menacingly.

I frowned. "Actually, we don't even have their Poké Balls, at the moment." That was a total lie. _How could anyone not have their own Pokemon's Poké Ball! They are huge morons if they actually believe that!_

He growled, "What the hell?! Okay, fine, hand them to over these people!" One of the goons came to either of us and put their hand forward.

 _Yep, these guys are total idiots! No doubt._

Just then, a thought popped up in my mind. I quickly whispered to Piplup, "When I signal you, use Ice Beam on them, alright?"

He nodded. "Lup!"

"Hey, what are you two whispering about!"

"Nope, nothing. Here you go." I handed Piplup to him and he happily went over there, where they kept him on the table along with Pikachu. _How can those idiots be so sure that they won't attack?! Sheesh, talk about brains._

"Idea!" I lightly whispered excitedly, and snapped my fingers.

"What is it?" all of my group asked simultaneously.

I could hear Ash's voice say, "Hurry up, we don't have time."

"Alright, alright. Listen," I whispered, "I have a plan. We three are just in front of a door, so May, do you think you could unlock it?"

I turned to May and she nodded. "Obviously! It'll will be just a piece of cake!" she whispered.

I nodded back and said, "Hm, then, through this door... we will try evacuating the people. First step should be that we should get Pikachu to use Thundrrbolt on them and then I will ask Piplup to use Ice Beam, freezing them. While they are frozen we will evacuate all the people here. Then, it will be time for action. Clear?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow... your mind actually works," I heard Ash whisper through the Bluetooth. I just sighed and ignored his comment.

May said, "I will unlock this door." She turned around and sat in a position so that me and Leaf were covering her back. She took some time before she could actually open the door, quickly unlocking it with the help of a key unlocking device, which could open any type of lock. "Done," she whispered.

We nodded and I ordered, "Now, let's proceed to the next step of our plan. Ash?"

I heard his nonchalant reply, "Alright, ready whenever you are."

"I am ready!" I grinned. Ash smirked and whistled. The hooligans were confused and was about to say something, but was interrupted by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, striking at them.

"Pika-chuuu!"

THe men were shocked by the electric move, and were paralysed for a moment. In the process, they dropped their guns on the floor. I wasted no time and signalled Piplup by jerking my head.

Piplup understood the signal and nodded, "Pip-lupp!" He shot an Ice Beam at the guys, freezing them all. After that was done, he jumped into my arms, and at the same time, Pikachu also jumped on Ash's shoulder. Gary went and collected all the guns, in case they broke free.

Drew shouted, "Everyone, c'mon and escape from here! Quick!" All the people nodded and ran out of the confined place, freeing themselves.

I heard that same kid from before ask him, "What about you all?"

The chartreuse haired bent down and ruffled his hair. "It's good you worry about us, but don't worry, we'll be fine! Now go." He pushed the boy forward and he nodded at him as he went out.

Leaf was helping him with the evacuation. She directed, "All of you, find a safe place and rest there. Don't roam here and there!" Everyone nodded and followed the instructions.

"Is everyone out?" May questioned.

Drew nodded. "Yeah."

Gary cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Now, it's hero time!"

I laughed. _As if he's Ben Tennyson!_

Ash commanded, "Pikachu, Iron Tail, let's go!"

"Pika!" He nodded and jumped into the air and used Iron Tail on the ice, shattering it into pieces and releasing the gang from the ice.

They all shivered and stared at us, confused. After realizing that their guns were no longer in their grasp, they all started to panic.

Gary threw the gun in the air, caught it, and spun it around his finger casually. "Searching for this?" he asked mockingly.

I heard Leaf mutter, "What a show off."

I turned my attention to the gang. I saw their eyes widen in surprise and shock. The boss asked, "Who are you all?!"

Ash replied, sighing, "Is it necessary to answer?"

He ordered, "Damnit! Fools, what are you all waiting for! Attack!" All of his gang members attacked us, throwing punches and kicks at us.

One of the idiots leaped on me from behind. I caught hold of his hand and tossed him on the ground. I turned to Piplup and said, "Your chance."

He smiled and nodded. "Pip-lup!" He used peck on that guy and used Bubble Beam, completely soaking him wet with water and knocking him out, in the process.

"Good job!" I complimented and high-fived Piplup.

Gary quickly punched the guy on his face, and threw him onto one of the tables _... I guess, we will have to pay for that.._. He whistled and asked, "Did you actually think that you could fight against _me?"_

Then, I glanced at May, who held a goon by his collar and kicked him in his gut. He was about to punch her, but she blocked it with her hand and punched him back with all her force on his face, making him unconscious. She brushed her hands and kept her feet on his stomach with a grin.

Drew was busy fighting with another guy; he held the guy with his neck. He hit him against the door and struck him on his stomach. He punched him on his gut and threw him in the air, and once he was down, Drew kicked him again, pushing him farther onto the tables.

 _Where is Leaf?_ I searched for her and saw her holding one of the men, his arms folded behind his back, and he gasped in pain. She released him and turned him around so that she could hit him. He tried to hit her back by punching in her stomach, but she dodged it. In return, she hit him on his neck, giving a perfect Karate Chop, causing him to lose his consciousness. She flashed me a toothy grin and a thumbs up.

I saw Ash take care of their boss. The masked man kicked Ash on his leg, but he blocked it with his own leg. Ash kicked him on his leg, causing him to fall down. Then, the boss pulled Ash by his foot, forcing him to join him on the ground. The guy towered over him by jumping on top of him, but Ash was quick to attack and kicked him, throwing him away from himself. Ash got up and held the guy by his collar and slapped him hard, making him fall to the ground.

I decided to say my final and favorite dialogue. I took out my gun from my gun holder and pointed at those guys, grinning. "You all are under arrest." _It sounds cool, doesn't it?_

Then, in the next moment, we tied the bunch of goons with a rope. We stood with our guns pointed at them. Gary, Drew, and Ash removed their masks, revealing their faces. I thought they would be familiar, but they were all new faces. I wonder if there is any criminal data about them?

Leaf asked with a serious face, "Who are you all?"

Their head replied, "Just a gang of criminals." _How was that even a reply?!_

Gary questioned, "Did someone ask you to do this hijacking or you all did it by yourself?"

He replied back, "We have a big gang, and we needed money and we thought that if we could hijack this ship then we could steal some money. But, who would've thought that there would be normal people like you, who had guns in their pockets?"

 _What? That's their only reason? No... for some reason, I'm doubting them. And it feels as if they are hiding something from us..._

May smiled. "Didn't anyone tell you that we were police officers?"

"What?!" His eyes widened. He screeched, "But, how?"

Ash replied, "We are agents of SBI. Don't ask any questions. We don't plan on giving you information about us. Just answer the questions we ask."

Drew asked the next question. "Where is this gang of yours? Tell us the address."

He laughed maniacally, "Do you take me as a traitor who would you tell you the address of our boss just after some beating and pointing guns at us?"

"Yes," I blurted.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "No, we are very loyal to our boss."

The green-eyed boy said, "Okay, fine." He turned to us, "Guys, I think our job's done, here. He will spit out everything eventually, anyway."

May nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too."

"Wait," I objected. They all gave me stares, wondering why I had said that. I ignored their looks and asked, with a deadly tone, "Are you sure you aren't hiding anything from us? I mean, that maybe one of your reasons is correct, but there's something else as well, right?"

The boss nodded. "Uh... yeah?"

I glared at them and before I could ask him further questions, Ash interrupted me. "You do. Tell us, you were sent by someone else for this work, weren't you?"

"Yes, we were sent by our boss."

He heaved a sigh, quite frustrated. "Are you gonna tell us straight away or should I interrogate in another manner?" he threatened, while glaring with his dark brown eyes.

Sweat started dripping from his forehead as he averted his eyes, downwards. "Yes, we were sent by someone else."

I smirked. My guess was right! Yay! "Who was it?"

"I dunno. There was a call from a public number telling us to hijack this ferry to Twinleaf Town and stop it in middle of the sea for as long as we could. He bribed us with lots of money and there's no way... we could reject his offer. Besides, who knew there were some inordinary people like you," he admitted as he mumbled the last sentence.

"I knew it!" I exclaimed, ecstatic that my intuition was right.

Ash glared at me, making me shut my mouth. Then, he turned to the guy before him. "Is that all?" He nodded. "Mm. Our work's done with them."

Gary put the gun in his gun holder, located on his belt. "Let's hand him over to Officer Jenny of Twinleaf Town. She will get him to say everything."

"Right. I will contact Officer Jenny and tell her to about these criminals and ask her to meet us at the port and take away these criminals in her custody," Leaf said, while taking out her mobile from her pocket. To make the call, she went away from the group and to the corner.

I wondered, "What if they escape from here?"

Ash shrugged, "Let's keep them unconscious 'til we reach there." We nodded and I took our the spray from my bag, which had chloroform in it. Ash took it from my hand and sprayed it over them, and as soon as they inhaled it, they lost their consciousness. After that we locked them in a room where no one would go: the store room.

When we were done with that, May had gone to the announcement room to let them know that this ship was now under control and the hijackers were caught. Then, a lady announced that everyone aboard was safe and there was no longer a threat.

Then, the manager came to us and bowed. "I, on behalf of the management, would like to express my gratitude towards you all, for saving the ship. I had called the control room and informed them about the circumstances, and they said that they would send the police to the shore to arrest the hijackers."

I said, "Well, that's good."

"Piplup!" I smiled down at Piplup, and holding him safely in my arms.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled in glee.

Then, I wondered, "But... who might have send them to delay the boarding of the ferry at Twinleaf Town?"

Leaf nodded. "Mm. Yeah. Why would anyone want us not to go there?"

"You answered that question yourselves," Gary said, shrugging.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Drew said, "It's obviously the people who'd have a problem with us if we go there?"

May frowned. "We don't cause any harm to people!"

I was about to agree with her, but just then, realization hit me. "Oh, I know!" I snapped my fingers. "There is one group of people who'd have huge damage by us!" I said, excitedly.

"Who?" May raised an eyebrow.

Before I could say, Ash interrupted me with a sigh, "It's Trip, Miette, and their gang. Who else?"

"Oh, yeah," she muttered. "They can resort to such cheap tricks as well."

"But," I started, "Why didn't they tell that gang that we were at this ferry? I mean, we're obviously trained enough to at least take them down without any difficulties. They would know at least that much."

"Point," Gary agreed.

Leaf suggested, "Maybe they wanted to test us?"

"No... why would they? We were taught how to act in these situations. Dawn's right. They should know this," he said.

May bit her lower lip. "Uh... what if they wanted us to arrest them?"

"There might be a possibility for that, but why?" Drew shrugged. "Why would they want to do that?"

Ash said, "That might be the actual motive. Maybe they wanted to hit two targets with one bullet? Like... they kept us involved in that and delayed our arrival time. Then, they got them arrested because they had some grudge, I guess."

"Maybe, who knows," the former mumbled.

I sighed. "What a bunch of... complicated people. I don't get them, sometimes."

As soon as we exited the room, we saw the crowd waiting for us and cheering. One of the elderly man asked, "Are you all police officers?!"

Gary winked. "You got it right, ol' man!"

Ash informed them, "You all can go and sleep peacefully now. There is no threat anymore."

All the people began to dismiss them, muttering many 'thanks's and 'you're the best's. Most of the crowd had gone into their rooms to take a peaceful rest, as it was almost midnight. But, some girls hadn't gone yet, including that girl from earlier who had refused to sit down. May whispered to me, "What do you think they want now?"

Leaf questioned, "And _why_ are they coming this way?!"

"Maybe they are our fans?" I suggested. We stared at them expectantly as they walked towards us, but they passed by us, pushing me in the process. "Watch where you're going!" I yelled.

"Pip!" Piplup supported me.

The girl with long red hair, the one that had pushed me, flicked her hair and walked past me, saying, "Move out of the way, loser."

My jaw dropped on the ground, "What the hell?!"

Piplup's nerve twitched, "Pip! Pip-lup!"

Then, there were two more girls who followed that stupid girl, and they also brushed their shoulders with May and Leaf. All of the girls went towards the boys of our group, who were joking with each other. The rude girl and her two followers wrapped their arms around theirs!

"Hey, handsomes! My name's Melody!" That girl who had pushed me, Melody, was standing next to Ash with her one arm wrapped around his. My mouth opened up in a gape.

The girl who was next to Gary, in the same position as that Melody, introduced herself, saying, "Hey, I am Giselle. Nice to meet ya."

The next one had her side pressed into Drew. She greeted, "Hi, Mr. Drew! I am Brianna, nice to meet you!"

May quickly went to Drew, stood in front of him, and said, "Oh, hello, Miss! Why are you flirting with him?!"

That Brianna just poked out her tongue at her. "Are you jealous that you couldn't make a move on him? But it's no use now, because he is mine!" _Since when...? She just met him and he doesn't even know her..._

Leaf, Piplup and I gasped. _"What?!"_ May glared at her, and then, at Drew, with a finger pointed in his direction, accusingly. "And _you,_ why aren't you saying anything?! Could it be that you're enjoying her company?! You cheat!"

 _Wow... she's quite aggressive._

He laughed nervously, "No, May! C'mon, why would I?" He turned to Brianna, "Listen, sister. I am already booked and this girl's my girlfriend!" He released himself from her hold and quickly went May, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"What?! Sister?! Girlfriend?!" she squeaked.

May stomped her feet and glared, hard. "Do you mind getting _lost_ from here?" _Wow, such harsh words. I will have to learn some things from you, May._

She just pouted in response. "Damn! Uwaaah!" With that, she dashed away while rubbing her eyes, as if she was crying.

Then, I turned to see Giselle flirting with Gary. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Gary smiled and unintentionally glanced at Leaf as he replied, "Nope... not yet."

I glanced at Leaf, who looked like she could explode with anger, any moment now. I heard Giselle say, "Gary, you have such a hot name! And a hot body, too!"

He flashed a toothy grin. "You think so, too! Everyone knows that... unlike a _certain_ somebody who doesn't want to admit that." Indirectly, saying it to Leaf. _Woah!_

She stepped forward and puffed her cheeks, "Oh, c'mon! Why _would_ I want to admit that?! And, I am not a flirt to compliment you on your body and stuff!"

Gary smirked. "Ooh, Leafy's gettin' angry!"

Giselle caught hold of his hand. "Who is she? Is she your sister?" Just then, loud laughter escaped from my mouth, since I was unable to control it anymore.

The spiky-haired boy jerked away her hand and shouted, _"Si-sister?!_ And Dawn, stop laughing!"

I bit my cheek, in order to control the laughter, which was still not ready to stop. "Sorry... haha... sorry!"

Leaf said, "I'm _not_ his sister! I am his... I'm his..." She trailed off, unable to think of what to say next.

"You're his what?" Giselle asked, suspiciously.

Gary was also waiting for her response, expectantly. She turned away her face and blushed. "I'm his... friend."

We all fell down anime style. "What the heck, Leaf?!" I frowned. I was almost very sure that she was not going to say what she really wanted her to be. She just blushed even more in response and gave an apologetic expression. I shook my head at her and sighed.

I glanced at Gary, and saw that he had a mixture of expressions on his face. It looked like anger, irritation, happy, upset, and a bit of depressed emotions. _I feel sorry for him, now._

Giselle sighed in relief. "Just a friend, right? Hah, then no worries. Anyways, are you free, now? Let's have a cup of coffee."

Gary saw Leaf glare at him and he gulped. He laughed nervously, "No... uh, I am not free, you see. I have to go to sleep as... we have to wake up early in the morning. And... I am on a date with Leaf, today."

"What?!" I and Leaf both shouted, simultaneously.

Leaf asked, cluelessly, "I am?"

Gary winked an eye, telling us to go along with him. "Yes, yes, you are! Don't you remember?"

She realized his plan and stuttered, "Oh, uh-yes, yes, I am on a date with Gary, actually!" I saw that girl's expression turned into that of an angry and confused one.

"But, you said that you both were just friends!" she whined.

Leaf locked her arms around Gary's and he smirked. "We were friends, but now, we _might_ become a couple."

Giselle stared at them cluelessly. "Bummer."

"Piplup..."

"Pika-chuuu!" He jumped into my arms, and Piplup quickly climbed on my head. I wondered what happened, as to why Pikachu was here.

"What happened, Pikachu?" He pointed at Ash's direction and saw that Melody had her arms still around Ash's. I furrowed my eyebrows. They are still flirting?! I turned to hear their conversation.

"Ash, are you single?" Melody flirted, while playing with Ash's hair. _What the hell?! How can he let her come this close to her?! Dude, she's playing with your hair! How could you...?!_

The raven-haired guy removed her hand from his hair and said, seriously, "No, I am not."

 _What?! But, how can he_ not _be single? He said that he didn't have any girlfriend, right?!_

"Hey, you are single!" I blurted out, accusingly.

Ash gritted his teeth and glared at me. "Did I ask you? And how would _you_ know?"

I felt so humiliated. _How can he go on and insult me like that?! I never gave him the permission to insult me like this, publicly!_

I glared at him, offended. He did flash a look of guiltiness, but went back to his serious expression. Melody gave a faltered smile. "Really? Damn, I thought that you were still single. But, who is that girl?"

Ash replied, sternly, "I don't feel the need for you to know."

"I've fallen for this quality of yours, you know? You're so handsome, but you don't boast about it at all," she admired, coyly, as she lightly pressed a kiss on his cheek.

As soon as I saw her lips come in contact with his cheek, my eyes widened and mouth fell open. I frowned and pursed my lips.

I felt anger bubble inside of me. _How can he allow her to kiss him?! There is no way he would've allowed that if I was in her-_ I stopped myself in the mid-sentence. What in the world was I thinking?! Have I lost my capability to think properly?

I glared at him, very, very, very hard. Though it seemed like he didn't know, I saw him getting all too cozy with her, impressing her with his stoic talk. Look at him, smiling and smirking! I saw him remove her hand from his, but still talking to her, nonetheless.

"Piplup, let's go," I said bitterly, loud enough for Ash and his girl to hear.

The Pokémon in my arms stared at me, confused. "Pip-lup?"

Without even explaining him the reason, I walked past Ash, intentionally. In the process, I handed Pikachu to him. I would've shoved him, but Pikachu had done nothing wrong, so I couldn't possibly take my anger on him. I gritted my teeth. "Here."

I walked away, my blue locks bouncing, and maybe even hitting him in his face. It'd be better if they hit him. Just for a moment again, I could see his ever-irritating smirk. "Piplup?" my penguin questioned again, concerned.

I replied, miffed, "Nothing, a certain someone never leaves the chance to make me angry." Piplup looked still confused but didn't question me further.

 _But, why did I react that way? Could it be that I was jealous of Ash getting closer to some other girl? Hey! W-wait. Is it even possible...?_

My cheeks started to feel warm and my stomach going wild. I could feel the something strange happening in my stomach. _Was it...the so-called 'butterflies in stomach' by Leaf and May? Ah... I like this feeling, but I want to dislike it! Gah... what's happening with me!_

Some weeks ago, I was the one who said that people shouln't get jealous, when we all know that nothing would happen between the guy and the girl. I was lecturing them in my mind, about that stupid jealousy!

And now, I am the one who's feeling this conflicted emotion... I am not supposed to!

Not towards _Ash,_ of all people!

 _Could it be..._

 _...Could it be that I see Ash as my... ro-romantic interest?!_

* * *

 ** _Woohoo! Dawn finally realized her darn feelings! (She's so quick, isn't she? Took her godamn "seventeen" chapters to realise that! So early, ryt?)_**

 ** _So, how did you like their time when they were in action?! Cops in action! Nice, right? I liked it! And don't question me how I made all the reasonings and assertions as Dawn's thoughts ...you can say it's the effect of watching suspense and detective series! But, the credit especially goes to my most favourite...beloved...DETECTIVE CONAN! Ah...I just love it! *hearts in eyes*_**

 ** _(1) My beta-reader said that you guys might have a question in mind as to why Dawn and her gang didn't take action, sooner...so, I thought those reasons might be appropriate as it's answer! And it's...reasonable, right? I thought of all possible aspects and explained it. Hopefully, you guys don't have any questions now! And...even if you do...don't hesitate and go ahead and ask me! ; p_**

 ** _Question: what do you think will happen from now on? Will Dawn start being conscious of Ash? Or she will ignore those feelings?_**

 ** _For me, the scene between May and Drew was epic! Frankly speaking! She just...nailed it! Her xharacter was just awesome! She became savage...yeah! Afterall, a jealous girlfriend is really scary! Hahaha! ; p_**

 ** _And the part where Dawn hit Ash's face with her hair was cool, as well! Don't you think as well? ; )_**

 ** _Anyway, I'll be going for now! See ya, soon!_**

 ** _Favourite, follow and review! ; p_**


	18. Revealing the Mystery behind the Myth

**_Hello, people!_**

 ** _You guys might be thinking; what the heck is up girl?! She just posted a chapter of Our Sakura Tree and now, it's this?! How the heck is she able to have so much time on her hand!? __...Right?! (Though, I wonder that myself...sometimes!)_**

 ** _Actually, I've been updating a lot of chapters these days because I happen to have holidays and who knows when will be my next update after these good and blessed days end? So that's why I'm planning to update atleast 20 chapters before June 1, since my school will be starting from those days. Just two more chapters to go and I'll be done with my resolution! Wish me luck! ; p (Good for you guys, though!)_**

 ** _Hey, actually, I was gonna update this chapter some days earlier but I was so busy playing a new game! It's name is "Mystic Messenger" which was suggested to me by Anica123! And damn! That game was just too awesome! It's kinda a game for girls like those dating sims but...a different one! It is a more enjoyable game! It has genres like...drama, romance, mystery, suspense and tragedy! Damn, I'm telling ya! That's an awesome game! What I liked the most was the...mystery it created! That was so freaking cool! Tbh, I'm a huge mystery and suspense lover! I just love it to the core! *sparkling eyes*_**

 ** _Y'know, for all those mystery lovers and those who are curious to know the suspense behind the myths, heads up! Because this chapter will certainly attract your attention and would definitely make your love for mysteries stronger! Haah, much of hyperbole, huh? ; p_**

 ** _Seriously?! I got 226 reviews already?! Wooooow! That's so coool! I mean...I don't have words! Damn, I'm becoming more and more greedy, y'know! I really am! Thanks to you all, actually! : P_**

 ** _And...I don't really have anything I'd like to say...so, go ahead and read. No one's stopping ya!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 18_**

 ** _Revealing the Mystery behind the Myth_**

The next morning, I woke up early and was ready to leave the ship. But... I couldn't sleep last night for two reasons in particular: one, I was really very excited to return to Twinleaf Town, and two... I couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night, that emotion I felt...jealousy! Why the heck would I feel like that because of Ash! I mean, I've thought about it thoroughly and came to a conclusion that...there's no way I can think of him as my romantic interest, I mean...duh! He is nothing like my tastes in boys!

With great difficulty, I had shaken away that thought. In the end, I had decided that I was not going to think more about that, and concentrate on my mission.

"Guys, ready to leave?" I beamed, but my smile left as soon as I saw that only Drew, Leaf, and Ash were awake and gathered in front of me. "Where are May and Gary?" I whined. Just then, my eyes met with Ash's. Instinctively, I averted my gaze and turned a little red, quite embarassed. _I still can't imagine him as my crush!_

Leaf replied, "They are both asleep."

Drew sheepishly rubbed his head. "May kinda didn't sleep last night, as she was a bit mad at me and kept an eye at me the half of the night... and she went back to her room at four in the morning, so yeah..."

I groaned, "Dude, what are we gonna do now?!"

Ash snickered, "It's a miracle on how you woke up early, today. I am not dreaming, am I?" Leaf and Drew laughed.

I pursed my lips, still pissed off from last night, though I was confused myself. "Haha, very funny. You're not dreaming, want me to pinch you?"

"I wonder if that's even possible, because my skin is pretty tough," he boasted.

I wanted to retort, but I had to wake up May and Gary first, or else we would be late to get down from that ship. I turned to Drew and Leaf. "Do you think you can wake them, because we have to get down quick? Also, tell May that she is free to sleep at my place."

Drew nodded. "I will try and convince her," he said, and walked away.

"I am not going to wake Gary up."

"Why?!"

She blushed and scratched her cheek. "He acts very crazily in the morning and I don't like that... He does stupid stuff." She looked the other way and crossed her arms.

Ash smirked. "I know, he gets very dizzy in the morning, sometimes. He flirts and acts perverted, unintentionally."

"You're right, Ash! He is like that!" Leaf nodded, and said, "Dawn, you go wake up Gary."

I groaned, "Fine." I turned to the Pokémon in my arms, "Let's go, Piplup."

"Pip!" We both ran toward Gary's room and when we reached there, I decided to knock, but, to my surprise, the door was unlocked already. I slowly opened the door without making a noise, and saw Gary working on his laptop.

 _What is he up to? What's he doing?_

I sneakily decided to peep in and look at his work, but...unfortunately, I hit my foot against one of the tables. I yelped, "Ow, Ow!" I lifted my foot, and caught hold if it, and spun around in pain.

"Dawn, Piplup, what're you doing, here?" Gary put his hands on his hips and glared at me, with his eyebrows raised.

"Pip..." Piplup waved.

 _Shit. He caught me._ I stood back in upright position and sheepishly said, "Hey, Gary..." He continued to glare at me, and I cleared my throat. "I was here to wake you, but it's good that you are already up. Anyway, why didn't you come out and meet with us?"

He replied, "I had some... work to do." He turned to me and asked, "Why didn't you send Leaf instead? I would've enjoyed teasing her."

I placed a hand on my heart. _"This_ is how you treat your best friends? I'm hurt."

"Pip-lup!"

He stared at me, and said, jokingly, "Nah, this is how I treat only _you,_ actually."

"It's true that once you find love, you forget about your friends. You prefer Leaf over me? How rude." I pretended to be hurt.

He laughed and ruffled my hair as he walked past me. "That's enough, drama queen." He packed all his stuff in his bag and carried it along with him.

I laughed along with him, and said with a smile, "She didn't come because she thinks that you act perverted and crazily when you're half-awake. To prove it, even Ash said that about you."

Gary muttered, "That jerk."

We exited the door and in the hallway. I decided to ask, "So, when are you gonna ask Leaf out?" I locked my arms around Piplup.

"Piplup?" he teased with his eyes narrowed.

Gary jabbed his hands in his pockets. "Very soon. Anyway, you know something about Leaf's feelings towards me, don't you?"

I answered without thinking, "Of course. We are best friends for life, after all." I interrupted him before he could ask, "And no, I am _not_ going to tell you. She told me in expectations of keeping it as a secret, you know? Not for me to tell you, and no need to worry, I never told her about your feelings either." I crossed my arms. "Besides, you need to grow some courage and confess to her."

Piplup nodded, agreeing with everything I said. "Pip, pip."

Gary shook his arms, defensively. "Okay, okay, fine. I get it... you didn't have to give me such big lecture, you know?"

I shrugged, "You needed it. Anyway, let's hurry!" I caught his arm and dragged him with me, on full speed. Once we reached there, I could see May with a half-lidded eyes and trying very hard to stay awake. I sheepishly smiled. "Sorry for being late."

Piplup sheepishly rubbed his back of the head, "Pip-lup..."

Leaf smiled, back, "It's alright. I bet it was Gary, who took this much of time to wake up."

I nodded. "Yeah..." I joined the gang. "Are we all set?"

"Yeah!"

" _Welcome, to the Twinleaf Town. I request all the passengers to get down the ship."_ There was the announcement I had been waiting for the past few hours. I quickly jumped down on the port along with Piplup.

May exclaimed, "Look at her, she looks like a a small kid finally going back to her home!"

They all followed me, I couldn't help but sniff the fresh air of my hometown. Now, _that's_ more like it. I heard Ash say, "Why is she so excited? Weren't we here the last month? Also, you both don't seem as excited as her."

Gary replied, "She is that kind of girl who gets excited over nothing."

I pouted, "You guys realize that I can hear you both, don't you?" They all started to laugh at my expression. "Anyway, let's hurry. I am very hungry."

"Pip!" He nodded, agreeing with my statement.

"Oh, and yeah, you all are invited to stay at my home! Mom wouldn't mind, anyway." I beamed.

Leaf said, apologetically, "Sorry, Dawn, but I guess I'll have to pass this one."

Gary nodded. "Me too. I have my apartment to take care of."

I shook my head. "No, you both are staying, too! And that's my final decision. Even if you don't want to you will have to!"

Before they could object, Officer Jenny came up to us. She shook hands with all of us and smiled. "Thank you for your help. We had been searching for a sign of a member of their gangs. Now, thanks to you all, we have caught them. And don't worry, we will get the address of their Boss and catch them, soon."

We all nodded and May said, "That's good."

Leaf smiled. "Yeah, I hope you catch them, soon."

Drew said, "No need to thank us. It was our duty, actually."

Gary winked. "You got that right!"

I grinned. "Thanks to you, too, and best of luck with your mission."

"Pip-lup!"

"Pika-pi!"

She saluted and walked away. She caught the criminals and dragged them into her police van. We all watched her drive away.

I turned to others and pumped my fist. "Lets go home!"

My blue penguin Pokémon copied my action. "Pip-lup!"

* * *

When we finally came closer to my house, I could see two very familiar faces arguing. I waved. "Hey, Izzy and Cara!"

Ash and the others glanced up to see, who I was waving at, Leaf and Gary seemed to recognise their faces, as Gary's eyes widened. "Oh, my, Dawn! You're present at the Twinleaf Town Festival? I heard that you weren't going to attend it this time," Cara exclaimed.

I sheepishly laughed. "Yeah, I thought so, too. But, in the end I made it!"

"Pip-lup!" He nodded.

"Hey, is this Leaf and Gary?" Izzy asked, surprised.

They nodded. Suddenly, Cara rushed to Gary and pulled his cheeks, quite hard. "My, my, you've grown up so much! Aw, you have grown into a fine young man!"

She continued pulling his cheek and he yelped, "Ow, ow!" When she finally let go, his cheeks looked really red. _Man, that must've hurt!_ He hissed in pain and responded, "Thanks a lot."

Cara then turned to Leaf, and her eyes widened. "Leaf! You look so beautiful, woman! I am so glad that you've been so well!"

She smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Cara."

I cleared my throat. "I would like to introduce you to our new friends, Ash, Drew, and May. And, you three, they are Cara and Izzy, the ones that plan out the festival here."

"Nice to meet you." Those three bowed down, simultaneously.

Cara rushed to Drew and Ash, as she started to pulling their cheeks. "You both are such handsome men!"

Once she released her hold, the two cried in pain, "Ouch!" They rubbed their cheeks, trying to ease their hurting cheeks.

"Pika?"

Ash replied, still rubbing his cheek, "I am alright, Pikachu."

"Are you okay, Drew?" May asked, concerned for her boyfriend.

He responded with a smile, "I am fine, I guess."

I turned to the two oldies and smiled. "Sorry, but we gotta hurry home and surprise Mom. I promise that I will come see you both and maybe, help out, too!"

Izzy nodded. "Sure."

We waved and rushed towards the house entrance. May wondered, "Dawn, is this your house?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"Lup!" I turned around, climbing the steps and walked towards the door, ringing the bell in the process.

Just then, my mom opened the door and I walked in, ignoring her surprised expression. I greeted, "Hey, mom! What's up?" I was trying so hard to control my laughter.

Piplup waved, as he climbed down and went into my mom's arms. "Piplup!"

Behind me, the gang entered as mom gave them the way to walk in. She opened her mouth and asked, "Dawn?! What are you doing here?"

I grinned. "Surprise, mom!" I smiled, triumphantly.

"You aren't skipping your mission, are you, young lady?!" The older brunette asked with a deep frown and hands on her hips.

"Nope! I'm here for the mission!" I shrugged. She shook her head at me and then, sighed. I know what she might have been thinking! _Nothing can be done about this girl_! I couldn't help but giggle. "Anyway, mom, can they stay here as well?"

Mom nodded, "Alright. I don't mind. Welcome, you all!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Berlitz." May and Drew bowed.

"Well, you might be May and Drew, right?" Mom asked, wearing a warm smile. She turned to other three. "Nice to see you, again, Ash, Gary, and Leaf."

"Likewise," they said in unison.

I walked in the kitchen and saw my dad on the chair, reading a newspaper. I greeted, "Hey, dad!" Just then, my eyes widened, when I realized that my dad was here! I asked in surprise, "What?! Dad?! What are you doing here?!"

Piplup's eyes widened, too, "Pip-lup?!"

He had a chartreuse hair, just like Drew's, dark blue eyes and fair skin. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue pants. He smiled and said, "Lets talk about it while having a cup of tea, shall we?"

I nodded, still shocked.

* * *

We were all seated in the living room, Ash - with Pikachu in his lap - Gary and Drew on one couch, while May, Leaf, and me, with Piplup in my lap, were seated on the other one. Mom and Dad were on the single sofas. I asked, "Now, can someone tell me why Dad is here?"

Piplup also questioned, "Pip?"

Dad laughed. "Dawn, curious as always. Actually, I decided to come because I thought that Johanna would be alone, this time on the festival, as you weren't going to come. So, I decided that I stay with her this time."

I laughed. "Oh, so that's it."

"Lup.."

Mom turned to me. "Well, it's time you start explaining yourself, young lady."

I laughed, nervously. "Uh..."

Ash interrupted, "What's the big deal? Just tell the truth." He shook his head at me, annoyed and then, turned to face my mom and dad. "Mr and Mrs. Berlitz, you see that we happened to have our next target here, in Twinleaf Town, during the festival. Also, she wanted to surprise you by showing up on your door out of nowhere. But, who knew that she would get a surprise herself."

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu chirped.

Dad questioned, "You're Ash, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."

Dad enquired, "Now, tell me more about your mission."

Leaf said, "You see, we have a mission that involves the statues of the legendary Pokémon. Some team called the 'Team Cosmic' is stealing the sculptures for some unknown reason."

May continued, "Till now, the Pokémon statues of Celebi, Giratina, and Palkia are stolen. We had tried to stop them at the time of Giratina and Palkia but... alas, we were unsuccessful. We heard that during this festival, there is going to be a display of the legendary Pokémon, the ruler of time, Dialga, and, so, we are here to prevent the robbers from having it."

The chartreuse-haired boy nodded. "Excuse me, but do you think we can take care of the statue in our way? I mean, we need to determine all the security, so, are we free to do that?"

Mom said, "Of course, you can. If it determines the safety of that legendary statue, then feel free to. You can do whatever you want to, but please, make it presentable at the festival."

Gary winked. "Leave that to us!"

"Oh, yes." I remembered something. "Mom, do you have an idea as to where Professor Rowan is at the moment?" I frowned when I saw Gary tense up but decided not to question.

She placed her fingers under her chin. "Uh, yes. He said he would come at our house today. He should be here at any moment."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I sprang up from my seat and rushed, "I'll get it!"

I opened the door quickly and saw Professor Rowan standing there. I greeted him with a wide smile. "Hello, Professor!"

"Piplup!"

He smiled in return at seeing me. "Well, hello there, Dawn and Piplup." I signaled at him to come in and he entered the living room along with me. "How come you're here?"

"We are here for a mission," I admitted. "Professor, we need to talk to you."

"Oh, Professor's here!" Mom exclaimed.

Dad came to him and shook hands with him. "Long time no see, Prof. Rowan."

The old man laughed in response. "Yeah, Derek."

"Since you want to talk to him about something, we will head out as we have some work, and Professor, we'll have our talk later," Mom said, as she took Dad away from us and out of the room.

Professor Rowan nodded in response and turned to us. Leaf asked, "Professor, do you know anything about that myth about the stealing of the Legendary Pokémon?"

May nodded. "Yeah, we are kinda stuck there."

The professor smiled. "Why don't you ask Gary?"

"Gary?" We all exclaimed in confusion, except Gary.

We glanced at Gary, confused. We saw him squirm under our glare as he swallowed that his throat. He stuttered, "Uh... guys..."

"What do you mean, Professor?" Ash questioned.

"Pika-pika?"

He crossed his arm and glanced at Gary. "You haven't told them that you were doing research on that project?" Suddenly, that flashbacks of Gary working on his laptop and hiding it flashed in my brain.

He grinned, nervously. "Um, no." He sighed. "I was going to tell you all after I was completely sure about the information I found. I wanted to be completely sure about the report. And I was going to tell you all today, eventually."

Leaf said, with a warm smile, "Hey, it's alright." He smiled back and gazed into each other's eyes. Drew cleared his throat, causing those brunettes to blush and turn away.

"Tell us about that myth, already!" I said, impatiently.

"Right." Gary quickly, connected his laptop to the projector, there. He did some typing and opened some files, revealing some pictures. We all stared at him while he was setting everything up.

I don't know why, but I felt really very, very, very curious! I couldn't control my excitement to unsolve the mystery behind the myth we had been searching for since the start of our journey! Dude, I can't suppress these strong emotions! Damn!

"Can you stop that?" I turned around to see Ash, the one who spoke. "Can you stop fidgeting like that? It's kinda annoying." I didn't realise that I was fidgeting in my seat with excitement.

I sheepishly grinned. "Sorry."

"Everyone, pay attention here," Professor Rowan instructed. "Gary's going to explain everything to you now." We all sat in upright positions, staring at the screen intently. Silence was filed in the room... that gave off such a serious and intense atmosphere!

Gary stood next to the projector and cleared his throat. "Alright. Listen well, everyone. According to the books, it is said that the legendary Pokémon statues hold some amount of life energy in them, which can summon the legendaries. There sculptures are considered very precious and important, and were worshipped as god in the history."

May questioned, "If they hold such great powers, then why are they kept out so publicly?"

Leaf nodded. "Yeah, why? I mean, like they are just kept in the museum and is displayed once in a year, if they are such powered statues... then, why are they showing it to the people out here?"

Drew said, thoughtfully, "Also, they aren't kept under a tight security, are they?"

Ash decided to clear their doubts. "Hm, actually, if I am not wrong, I think that the people in this modern world don't know much about these historic events and legends. Since people don't have the knowledge, they are completely clueless about this. That's the reason why there isn't much security around those statues and they often reveal them publicly."

Gary nodded. "Exactly, Ash. Also, this information is not given in many books, as I have searched all the books in the normal libraries. I had to get the books from old and the national library of Sinnoh. I surfed through all the sites and found some fake news, too... but, in the end, I got a real one. Actually, this info isn't normal, it takes a lot of study to search this one."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Gary, how did you go to the national library of Sinnoh?"

He grinned. "I've got some of my own ways!"

Professor Rowan said, "Yes, so that means that the person who is behind all this evil doings has done great research on this project to summon the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. I must say, that man is pretty clever to find a way like this for destruction."

I asked, "Professor and Gary, then how can he perform this rite to summon the legendary Pokémon?"

The brunette opened another file and showed us the pictures of the same five legendary Pokémon statues. He pointed at them. "As you all can see, these are the statues of the legendaries. 'Till now, Celebi, Giratina and Palkia have been stolen by Team Cosmic and their next target is the Dialga, so these are the four legendaries and the fifth one is... Arceus, the creator of this Pokémon world."

Professor continued, "You see these five staues, right?" We nodded. "To perform the rite, they must arrange their statues in a specific way on a special place. On Mount Coronet, there is a tower called the Spear Pillar. I think you all know it's history. There they have to place all the four Pokémon statues of Dialga, Palkia, Giratina and Arceus, surrounding the Celebi."

Gary opened another file that demonstrated everything. "It is said that once the they all are placed in a position like this, then the energy generated from the Celebi is the highest as it still exists, but is very rare. It gives off its energy to the other four state surrounding them, creating a portal for all the legendaries to enter our world. It can create a huge chaos... leading to the instability in this entire world."

"Whoa, it seems pretty dangerous," Leaf commented.

May asked, "Then, how can we stop it? Is there a way to prevent that from happening?"

"Hmm, one way is to avoid them from having all the five statues and the other one is... I am not sure about it myself... sorry, this is the reason why I was not telling you earlier... I wanted to find out everything, so that I could answer all of your questions..." Gary sighed.

Drew smiled. "Cheer up, buddy! Do some more research on it and then tell us about it later on!" The brunette smiled back.

Ash questioned, "Professor, do you any clue?"

"Pika-pika?" He cocked his head on the side.

"I am afraid no. I actually was going to discuss with Professor Oak on this matter soon," he replied.

Gary said, "But, don't worry, guys. Leave the research on me, I will do it for ya! Also, I'll get it done really soon. Since Professor is going to be in Twinleaf Town, while we are here, I will work with him and find the solution, soon, right, Professor?" He nodded.

I grinned. "That's Professor Oak's grandson for ya!"

Piplup jumped up. "Piplup!"

Leaf winked. "Or, you could say, the former Pokémon researcher!" Her statement caused Gary to blush, lightly.

Ash turned to the Pokémon expert and bowed down. "Thank you so much, Professor."

We all copied his actions and bowed down in unison. "Yes, thank you!" He nodded in response and walked out of the room to meet up with Mom and Dad.

Leaf and I walked next to the former researcher and I asked, "Gary, when did you get this much of time to do this whole research?"

"Pip?"

He nervously laughed. "Actually... uh... um..." I saw him squirm under our stare.

Leaf suspiciously narrowed her eyes. "You didn't sleep many of the nights, did you?"

He stammered nervously. "Uh... I..."

She sighed. "You're hopeless, Gary. How can you not sleep?! You should give your body a rest, if you would ask, then we would be glad to help you!"

He smiled. "Hey, don't worry. I am used to it, anyway."

"Nope, you should _not_ be used to it. Gary Oak, I order you that you take a good rest tonight or else I am gonna force you," she warned.

He nodded with a warm and wide smile. "Alright. If you say so." They both stared into each other's eyes. I sneakily walked away from there and let them continue their romance.

By mistake, I bumped into someone, my head hitting his chest. I groaned and looked up to see it was Ash. "How many times have you done that already?"

I sheepishly grinned. "Maybe... two times? Uh... sorry."

He shook his head and said. "Be careful, next time."

 _Woah! Since when was he like that?!_ I smiled. "Okay!" He walked away without saying anything else.

I exited the room and went outside the house. I went into the balcony and leaned on its railing. I couldn't help but think of what Gary and Professor had said.

 _I wonder what the solution will be..._

I could feel the fresh and cold breeze hit my face, swaying my blue hair out of my face. A smile crept on my face as I clenched my right fist, tightly with determination.

 _I hope that this time, we will be able to protect the Dialga..._

 _No matter what, this time it's our win, Team Cosmic! We won't let you have it... because we are gonna do anything to save it!_

* * *

 ** _Ahh! That wasn't such a good ending, was it? I definitely think so! Most of the time, I end my chapters with a cliffhanger but this time...I couldn't think of any! I mean, where I could make it end with a cliffhanger! So, I thought this time I might as well make it end with a simple and boring final line._**

 ** _Finally! All the pieces to the puzzle have come together! The truth behind the motives of Team Cosmic has been revealed! Liked it? I mean, I worked so hard to come up with such an explainable explanation! You should definitely like it! Afterall, a person's hardwork must be paid! Leaving all those jokes aside, did you all find the explanation satisfactory? Was it enough for you? Sorry if it's a little illogical...but please, bear with it! I mean, I'm not like those japanese people to have mind-blowing reasonings! So...hopefully, it was enough to make you think that it was not bad._**

 ** _By the way, how did you all like Gary's character in this chapter? I mean, he finally got to act like a "renowned professor's grandson!" In my point of view, he was definitely like a cool dude! What 'bout you all?_**

 ** _Also...like some of you said, Dawn has ignored that fact she sees him as her crush! That's such a bummer, right?! I'd definitely feel that if I were in your place! Actually, there's still a really looooooong way for her to realize her feelings! So, it's not happening just yet! (I'm really cruel, ain't I?)_**

 ** _So, for now deal with this much! The next chapter will be even more exciting and thrilling! Stay tuned! ; p_**

 ** _Don't forget to click the review button and pen down your views! Looking forward to reading them! : )_**

 ** _I'll be bidding adieu for now! But no need to worry, see you real soon! : D_**


	19. The Visit to a Pub!

_**Greetings, people!**_

 _ **AshxDawnaddicted represents you the latest chapter 19 of "The Double, The Trouble!" Hope you all find it interesting and fun!**_

 _ **For some reason, I don't really feel like saying much...so, go ahead and read! (You all must be happy that you don't have to deal with my blabbering! ...Haha! ; p)**_

* * *

 ** _Chapter - 19_**

 ** _The Visit to a Pub!_**

"Kids, the breakfast is ready!" Mom called out. Everyone came out and sat down on the table chairs. I saw that the table was set up, already with the food; we had spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce. "You all must be hungry, so, dig in."

Once we were done with our food, I decided to let the group know their rooms. I said, "Now, the room setups." I thought for a while and said, "We have two guest rooms and one of my own. How about you boys stay in the same room Ash had stayed in before? May and Leaf will sleep in the other room. What do you say?"

Ash shrugged, "Fine by me." The other two nodded, agreeing with him.

"Dawn," Leaf called, "I think all us girls should share the same room. We haven't had a girls' night since who knows when. What do you think?"

May nodded. "Yeah, yeah. It will be fun! We'll have the night to ourselves!"

My eyes brightened up as I said, excited, "Correct. Let's sleep that way. We'll all stay in my room; we'll have a blast! Wohoo! Let's call it a fun night!" We all squealed in delight.

Drew said, "You girls stayed in the same room just few days ago. Wasn't that called the girls' night?"

May sighed dramatically. "You don't know anything about girls, Drew. That night was when we were staying at the Pokémon Center, and since this is Dawn house... we are having a sleepover!"

Gary also sighed. "You girls are difficult."

Leaf stuck out her tongue at him and crossed her arms. "What if we are? Got any problem with that?"

The spiky-haired brunette shook his head. "No?"

"Good." Gary looked at her weirdly.

"Anyway, let's get freshened up, and then, let's go around the festival." I clasped my hands. Everyone nodded and went ahead to their rooms. "Who wants to go first?" I asked the other two girls. "For the bath."

Leaf replied, "What about you? Don't you want to go first?"

"Nah, I will go after you both are done. I am very hospitable, you see," I joked.

May laughed, "Haha, yes, you sure are." We all laughed in response.

I repeated, "So, who's going to first?"

Leaf turned to May. "You can go first." The bandana-wearing girl nodded and went into the bathroom to wash herself.

Meanwhile, I removed the wrapper from a chocolate bar and started to nibble on it. Leaf jumped on the bed and rested. "It feels so good to sleep on a home bed!" she purred.

I nodded. "I know, right. It feels a lot more comfortable than those Pokémon Center room beds!"

"Yeah!"

Just when we were all done freshening up, we made our way down to take a look around the city, and we saw the boys waiting for us. "You girls are so slow and very late! We have been waiting for you all for about half an hour!" Drew exclaimed.

I saw that what their dressings were now very casual. All the three of them wore something similar to each other, the only difference just being their colours. Drew was wearing a half-sleeved white T-shirt with collar and black track pants, Ash was wearing red tee and brown pants, and Gary had blue tee and white pants on.

Even we, girls were dressed lightly. May was in green sleeveless tee, with a V-neck and blue jeans, Leaf was wearing yellow-coloured buttoned up blouse and pink pants, and I was dressed in a normal blue Tee and white pants.

I crossed my arms. "If you'd told us to hurry, then maybe we would come down earlier."

Ash turned around towards the door. "Stop bickering now, it's not like we expected you'd come fast. We knew that even if we told you the time limit, you'd still take more than that."

May smiled. "He is as rude as ever." I nodded, a bit unsatisfied with his comments. Piplup, who was in Ash's arms, jumped into my arms and I wrapped my arms around him.

Dad came out of his bedroom and asked, "You're all going out?"

I nodded. "Yep, we were all thinking to take a round in the town." I looked around and questioned, "Dad, where is Mom?"

He replied, "She went with Cara and Izzy to make the arrangements of the festival. As you know, that she is the supervisor and holds most of the responsibility of the Twinleaf Town festival."

"Oh, alright. Anyway, are you busy, too?"

He pointed at his laptop. "Yeah, since I took a break from my business tours, I still have some files to fill up. You could say it as my homework." He chuckled, followed by all of us. "Anyway, Gary, the professor asked me to inform you that today, he will be a bit busy. So, you are free from your research for today."

The brunette nodded. "Alright."

Leaf said, excited, "Then, that means he gets to spend some time with us! I was thinking that he would not, since he wanted to continue his research, with the professor." She happily linked her arms with his, causing him to blush lightly. I smiled, inwardly.

I waved. "Well then, Dad, see ya!" I quickly went to the door and opened it. I climbed down the steps, along with everyone else.

"Move outta my way! Move outta my way!" I heard someone call out, and then, I heard a crash. I winced, as I saw Ash crashed with-

"Barry!" I exclaimed happily.

"Pip-lup!"

Barry and Ash both rubbed their heads, in pain. "Hey, how dare you come in my way! I am gonna fine you! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...," he continued. "Don't just stand there, pay up! Hurry!"

"Pika-pi..." I saw Pikachu groan.

Ash got up, brushed his clothes, and crossed his arms in annoyance. "You thought that I would pay you, after it was _you_ who crashed into me?"

I went next to him and snickered, "Serves you, right. I felt the _exact_ same way when we first encountered each other."

He replied to me, "Did you think that I would apologize to you now? And if you did, you are so wrong because you were the one at fault, that time."

I was about to retort but only to be interrupted by Barry. "Hey, wait a sec! You are that Kanto Champion, right?" He snapped his fingers. "Who had resigned to become a police officer?"

I turned to him and asked, with shock, "You are?"

"What if I am? And what if I did resign? Does that make any difference to you?" he scoffed, his arms still crossed and wearing that annoyed look. "And, also, you would've known, if you read more newspapers."

Ignoring his last comment, I shrugged. "No. That title doesn't make any difference, because even if you were the prince or the richest person of Kanto, you'd still be the same jerk." I saw his lips twitch into a small smile. I wonder why...I mean, he confuses me to the core!

"Dawn?" Barry turned to me, finally noticing me.

"Oh, thank you for noticing me this early," I commented, sarcastically. I heard May and all laugh behind me.

He sprang up and came to me, and he hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, nonetheless. "It's good to see ya! And are all these your buddies?"

"Are you friends with him?" I heard Ash ask.

I cleared my throat as I pulled away from Barry and stood next to him. "Guys, this is Barry, and-"

Barry interrupted me. "I guess I know them. You are Gary, Professor Oak's grandson, you're Drew and May, the former top coordinators of Hoenn and Johto, and you're Leaf, a Pokémon breeder and a trainer, right?" I looked at him, astonished. _How in the world does he know all of them?!_

Drew asked, "How do you know us?"

"Yeah, how?" Leaf nodded.

He placed his one hand on his hip and the other one pointed at them, boasting, "I saw all of you on TV and in magazines and newspapers." I just stood there with my mouth agape, completely dumbstruck.

Gary slapped his back. "Dude, you rock!"

May, disbelievingly, shook her head. "How do you even remember all of that?"

"My memory's sharp! Nothing much!" he bragged.

Ash retorted, "You're such a big talker."

"Anyway, why were you here?" I asked, as I put my hands behind my back and raised my eyebrows.

He tapped his chin. "Why was I here? Oh, yeah, I was here to give you a tour!" He grabbed my arm was about to run away, when Leaf stopped us.

She said, "Wait, Dawn! I just received a call from Jerry, and he said we have some work to do."

I turned to Barry with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, duty calls. I promise that we will take a tour tomorrow morning for sure!"

He nodded and flashed a thumbs up. "It's alright. We'll go tomorrow! I have some work to do, too. See ya!" He waved and sprinted away. _Can't really understand why he's such hurry everytime I meet him!_

"So, what is it this time?" I asked. Leaf switched on her watch and showed us the hologram send by Jerry. I stopped her and said, "Wait, we'll go inside. What if someone hears it?"

"Point." May nodded.

We all quickly went in my house and I shouted, "We are back!"

"Already?" Dad asked, as he came out of his bedroom with his glasses still on.

I replied, "Some work came up." He nodded and we quickly entered the living room, occupying our seats. Leaf placed that watch on the table and switched on the button, revealing a holographic video of Jerry.

" _Agents, we have received an information from our secret sources that in the Twinleaf Town Club. There will be a big drug dealing there tonight at eight o'clock. The police has been searching for those drug dealers. I want you all to disguise yourself and catch those smugglers. Good luck!"_

"Okay, since we have another mission, why don't we postpone all the plans for today to tomorrow?" I rubbed my palms together.

Ash shrugged. "That is our only option."

Gary pointed out, "We have to wear disguise and we don't have much time."

Leaf said, cheekily, "I know exactly what to do! Let's get all of us some hunky and cool clothes!" She stood up in excitement.

Drew sighed. "We don't have any other choice, do we?"

The cap-wearing girl grinned. "Nope."

* * *

When we were all done with the shopping, we went back to our house to have our lunch. As soon as we entered the house, Mom asked, "Done with the shopping?"

"Yeah." May nodded as we all went and sat on the chairs near the dining table. We were burning with hunger; I saw that we had macaroni and cheese for lunch. We all dug in, hurriedly as we still had to get ready for that tour to the club.

"Mom, where's Dad?" I asked as I looked around and noticed that he wasn't around.

She replied, "He fell asleep while doing the work." She continued, "My, you all are so busy. May I ask the reason for your shopping spree today?"

Leaf answered, "You see, we have this mission to catch the drug dealers at the city club, at eight pm. We're supposed to disguise as common customers at the club, but we didn't have any clothes capable of being worn to a bar, I decided that we should buy some."

Mom nodded in understanding as she cleaned up the table. I gave her a hand, along with May and Leaf. "Hey, you don't have to. I can do it myself."

May smiled. "Johanna, this is the least we can do for you! You are letting us stay in your house, and you expect us to do nothing in return?"

Leaf nodded. "Yes, of course. How can we possibly _not_ do something to help you?"

Mom giggled as she started washing the dishes, "My, it's so sweet, dear. But, you all should get some rest first, since you have to get ready for that club outing. You all can help me some other time. Now, go," she shooed us away.

All three of us said, hesitantly, "Alright."

We saw the boys sitting nicely on the couch, having a great conversation. They were laughing and teasing each other, enjoying themselves, so we decide to join them. And after some more time, we decided that we should all get ready, as it was already six.

Leaf handed all of us our own shopping bag, which contained our respective clothes. We all decided to change at the same time so that we all could leave early. We had considered changing clothes in the same room together; boys and girls separately, of course. But...it had been ages since any of us had done that, so it would definitely be a discomfort on our part. Hence, we had decided to change, individually.

Since, we had three rooms in total, we decided that May and Leaf would change in my bedroom's bathroom and the other one in the main room. Gary and Drew would do the same thing, but in their room.

Which meant... me and Ash had to wait for our turns outside.

I sat down on the chairs, there, accompanied by Ash. We were both sitting with one chair gap between us. We had Piplup and Pikachu, respectively, in our laps. I decided to play with my Piplup. I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. Like sitting with Ash, but still, not talking with him...

He was even playing with Pikachu, completely ignoring my presence!

 _I guess I'll have to start conversation_. "Hey, Ash. Have you ever been to a club before?"

His eyes were still on his Pokémon. "Yeah. What about you?"

I looked at him and responded, "Nope, never. Anyway, why did you go there? Please, don't tell me that... to drink alcohol and to smoke..."

"No! Have you gone nuts or what? Why would I drink such a thing! I have gone in case of some missions!"

I flinched at his outburst. I winced, wearing an apologetic expression. "Sorry."

He nodded, with a bit of anger still in his eyes. "Hm. Good, you better be."

"Okay, so, you used to go on your missions alone or in some groups or something?" I asked, with my eyes sparking with interest.

He shook his head. "No, I used to go alone. It was good, because I feel like that the more people are there, the more I fear for their safety."

I stared at him. "You are being a hypocrite. You are travelling with a group, now!"

"I never wanted to, actually, but I am sure that, in this group, everyone is capable of protecting themselves," he replied with a shrug, and then eyed me. Thank Arceus, he didn't say me- "except you." I saw Piplup snicker at him comment, and Pikachu was trying to stop Ash from insulting me. How mature of him, unlike...a certain someone.

My jaw dropped. "What?! Hey, haven't you seen me in action?!"

He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Yes, I have, but... your stupidity is something, and cannot be controlled. It can't be predicted, and you're very reckless, which can land you in trouble, and also put your life at risk."

I puffed up my cheeks. "You are such a... urgh! And I am not stupid! I am perfectly and absolutely capable of protecting myself. Oh, and if you _remember,_ I was the one who rescued you from the fire! You owe me big time!"

He chuckled at my antics. "Alright. I remember. I must admit that you are an useful girl under some certain circumstances. You acted very smartly, the other day on the ship, with the plan you came up with. I admit that you're capable of protecting yourself, but you worry everyone else with your recklessness," he replied with a wide, light smile. I frowned and eyed him from every angle. "What are you doing?"

I tapped my finger on my chin. "Who are you? And where is the Ash I know? He would never compliment me like this!"

He chuckled and ruffled my hair. "I am the same Ash you know. Can't you become happy when I compliment you? Rather than acting like this?"

I laughed, too. "Alright. Sorry I acted like that. It's just that... you don't really compliment me. I mean, you do it... but, it's very rare for you to do that! I actually didn't see that coming... you don't-"

I was interrupted by Ash's index finger on my lips. He then slowly lifted my chin with the same finger, causing me to directly gaze into his eyes. "Am I not allowed to compliment you, huh? Is it something which I am not to permitted to do?" he said in that husky voice of his, muttering so softly, which caused me to shiver and blush.

I gulped around the lump in my throat, "Er... um..." I cleared my throat. "I mean, of course you're allowed." I could feel his cap touching my head.

He smiled, and I noticed that he and I both had scooted closer. I wonder when that happened? He was still staring into my eyes. "You know, you've got pretty good skills. I'm impressed." I assumed that he was referring to yesterday's events.

I stuttered, "Uh... thanks." _Dude, he is so charming, right now! I can't help this stuttering! His scent is so... intoxicating!_

"Why are you so nervous? Lighten up, it's just me. Ash." He flashed me a toothy smile, which caused my heart to melt. _Wait, I'm still not getting used to this...smiling Ash!_

I smiled back. "I have a question."

He nodded. "Fire away."

"Why don't you ever call me by my name?" I asked slowly. That was the question that had been bugging me since day one! Now, since he was in such a good mood, I was really looking forward for an answer.

He chuckled. "Taking advantage of the situation, aren't you?" He leaned even closer. His cap was touching my forehead! "Why don't I call you by your actually name? Hm, actually-"

"Hey, Ash, Dawn. Your turn, now! You can come in." We heard the voices of the people inside the room. Their voice were especially loud in such a soft atmosphere, which caused us to flinch and move away from each other.

They interrupted right when Ash was about to answer! Dang it!

I blushed deeply and saw, from the corner of my eye, that Ash was scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "Looks like you won't be getting an answer this time. See you." He and I both stood up together and collected our bags. He flashed me a two finger wave and walked on the room, followed by Pikachu.

I smiled a bit and walked into my bedroom. _He was nice...I dunno why but i liked it._

"Pip-lup!" I was hit by his Bubblebeam, and I looked around to see Leaf and May, gazing at me with concern. "Pip."

As soon as I looked up, my jaw dropped and my eyes widened, and I ran towards the two. I caught their arms and squealed, with amazement, "You both look so... _awesome!"_

Leaf bragged, "I knew that we would look awesome." She had donned a baby blue cropped tank top, with a blue jeans leather jacket on top of it, and a blue jeans mini skirt. Her feet were adored by the same boots, which looked kinda hot. Her brown hair was kept open with a bit of curl on the bottom, making it a bit wavy, and her bangs were prevented from falling on her face by a dark blue hat.

May laughed. "True. I admit that Leaf's sense of fashion isn't really bad." She was wearing a pink one side off the shoulder cropped top, and white shorts, which ended above her mid-thigh. She had the same brown mutifunctional boots, which produced a cool look. Her were still in the same pigtails, but her bandana was now in white, matching with her outfit. She looked like a total badass!

Leaf pushed me towards the bathroom. "You still have two get dressed up. Hurry, or else we'll be late." She pushed me in the bathroom and closed the door. I looked at my dress first. "Dawn, hurry! And stop staring at your outfit!"

Geez, how did she know?

I quickly washed my face and then started undressing. When I was done with undressing, I removed my top and bottom from the hanger and pulled them on me.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Leaf and May squeaked in excitement. Leaf came up to me and said, "Oh, my gosh, Dawn, this outfit really suits you!"

May nodded as she eyed me. "Yeah. Leaf's choice was really good. She pulled it off perfectly, on ya!"

"Pip-lup!" Piplup complimented as he jumped into my arms, and I caught him.

I blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks." I was dressed in a black top neck, sleeveless T-shirt vest, which ended far above my belly button, and a light blue jeans mini skirt, just like Leaf's; it also ended above my mid-thigh. I wore boots, like everyone else's, but mine were black, suiting my outfit perfectly. I kept my hair open, just like normal, but it was covered by a Catsby cap, making my outfit look cool. We hadn't applied much make-up, except for lipstick.

Leaf wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I am sure that Ash will fall flat for ya!"

Her comment left my mouth agape. May accompanied her and she high-fived her. "I know, right. Ash will be at a loss of words!" They both started laughing at me.

I crossed my arms and closed one eye as I teased, "Oh, yes. Gary will also be loss at words, you know? I am sure he will start stuttering when he sees you! And May, I think Drew might just try to cover you up when he sees you like this. He wouldn't want other boys to see how hot you look, you know?"

Piplup narrowed his eyes teasingly. "Pip-pip!"

"Shut up!" Both of them shouted in unison as they started to chase me. I ran for my life to the door, and as I soon as I opened it, I bumped into Drew. "Ouch." I rubbed my forehead.

"Are you done..." He trailed off when he saw May behind me, who had moved forward to him, and I moved out of their way, letting them have their moment. They both started staring into each other's eyes.

Drew was dressed in a black jacket with grey three-fourth sleeves. He had left the zippers open, revealing his white undershirt and grey ripped jeans. He was wearing his own sneakers. Yeah, the boots wouldn't suit his outfit. He had a chained bracelet in his left wrist. He blushed as he stared at May. "You look... _beautiful."_

She smiled. "You really think so?"

He nodded. "Yep. I wouldn't lie to you." They both gazed into each other's eyes once again.

I turned my attention to Gary and saw his jaw drop on the ground floor when he glanced at Leaf. He was dressed in a black half-sleeved sweatshirt with a black T-shirt underneath, and black ripped jeans. He was also wearing a Jo's stylish watch on his left wrist. "I... uh... um... you...," he stuttered, still not overcome his shock.

 _Haha, looks like I predicted it right!_

Leaf move towards, standing right in front of him as she smiled sweetly. "What is it? You look really cool, by the way."

"You... er... um...," he stammered. I lightly hit him on his back as he cleared his throat and stood upright. "I mean, you look... hot!"

She blushed under his gaze. "Well, thank you." They even started having a staring contesting! They both looked completely loss at words as they stared at each other dreamily.

I moved away from the two couples, and as I was sneaking away, I side-bumped into someone's hard chest. Not Ash again! I have bumped into him so many times that now I can identify him! "Ouch." I rubbed my head and stepped back a bit.

"Three times in a row." I looked and saw Ash open his eyes now, and when he did, I saw his eyes widened in great amazement. I glanced at his outfit, which was similar to Gary's. It was a white sleeveless sweatshirt with blue ripped off jeans, and fingerless gloves on his hands. His hair looked just the same as always, and his same cap was on his head. He looked so... _freakin' hot!_ But, I wouldn't admit it to him... Of course, who the hell would!

"Pip-lup?" He waved his flippers in front of my eyes.

"Pika?" The electric-type Pokémon waved his paws in front of his trainer's face, knocking him back into his senses as he snickered at his reaction.

He cleared his throat as he eyed me. "You look good."

What?! I was expecting something better, but it was alright. At least I got a good comment on my dressing from him. I folded my arms behind my back and smiled. "Thanks. You look cool, too!"

He smiled back. "Are you happy now that I complimented you?" I laughed, as I blushed... he was still thinking of our previous conversation!

"Hey! Today, our headwear is similar! We both have something in common today!" I joked.

He eyed me and I blushed even harder under his gaze. He stepped forward and my eyes widened. He brought his hands close to my cheeks. _What's he about to do?! He is not going to...?!_ I closed my eyes as I waited for him to touch me. Just then, when I didn't feel his touch, I slowly cracked open my eyes to see that his hands were on my cap. My eyes turned into tiny dots when I noticed that he had adjusted my cap into a correct position. "Here. You were wearing it wrong."

 _Crap! What was I expecting just now?!_

"Aw, look at the young couples!" My mom's voice caused everyone to snap out of their daze. All of them blushed in embarrassment. Me and Ash were normal, because we weren't dazed off or anything.

I glanced at my mom and saw her hands clasped, with Dad standing beside her. "My, you girls look really very pretty! And boys, you look very handsome!"

Dad chuckled, "If you're done with your romance, then you should go now because it's seven. You'd be late if you don't hurry."

I quickly went inside my room and started searching for something. "Where is it? I am sure, I kept them here," I muttered, as I checked out my cupboard. I exited my room and asked, "Mom, have you seen my car keys? I am sure I had them in my room."

She dangled the keys in her hands. "You mean, these?" I nodded, and I leapt to take them, from her but she kept them away from my reach. "I'll give them to you only on one condition. Promise me that you won't get drunk and drive the car."

My jaw dropped. "Mom, hell no! Why would I drink alcohol?! We'll be back right after we are done with our work!"

"Pip-lup!" Piplup assured mom that he would take care of me. Blah, blah.

Dad ruffled my hair and chuckled. "I think that you should give her the keys. I am sure that she and her friends aren't into that stuff."

"See, Dad trusts me more than Mom!" I pouted as I hugged my dad. Mom handed me the keys and hugged me, too.

Dad asked, "But are you sure that you all will fit into your Mercedes?"

I thought for a while. "I guess, no?"

He chuckled as he handed me his car keys. "Here, my car is more spacious than yours."

I winked. "Thanks!" I waved and climbed down the stairs, along with everyone else. I shouted, "Bye, Mom and Dad!" With that said, we all exited the door, and I ran to the garage to bring out the car. "You guys, wait here. I'll bring the car from the garage!"

I entered the garage and opened the door of the car. After climbing in the drivers' seat, I strapped on a seat belt, while Piplup seated himself on the passenger seat. I turned on the ignition and drove out of the parking lot. When the car was in front of the house, I unlocked the doors, and my friends all climbed up.

Ash had seated himself in the passenger's seat; he scooped in Piplup in his arms, with Pikachu and my Piplup both in his lap. May and Drew were seated on the seats behind us, and Leaf and Gary were on the seats of the third row. "All set?"

"Yes," came the reply from everyone.

I let the window down, as Mom was saying something: "Come back home safely." We all nodded and I drove away. "Guys, have any info about what the dealers look like?" I asked, as I glanced at them from the mirror.

Leaf replied, "There is not much information on them. It's said that they do their work very privately and very secretly. Also, there is no crime data stored about them. This time, it is by luck that we recieved some news about their deal."

We all nodded. Since the stoplight was red, I decided to take out my mobile from my skirt pocket. Ash said, "Do you know the way?"

I shook my head. "No... that's the reason why I am going to use GPS." I pulled my phone out and I quickly searched for the club, and a map appeared.

He sighed. "You're hopeless."

I followed the directions, and, finally, we reached the club. It had a very sparkly board, on which was written 'Twinleaf Club' in a cursive, stylish handwriting. It was very shiny! We all climbed out of the car.

We handed our passes to the bodyguards and they did a body check. Yes, there were female bodyguards for females. But, we had shown them our Police SBI Identities. Obviously, we had to, as we were carrying guns and weapons with us! We even warned them that they were not allowed to leak information that there were secret agents of the police in the bar, and they agreed to remain quiet.

When we finally entered the club... we could see all types of people there! Some were drunk and some were not. Ash commented, "These people sure look like wild Pokémon."

Leaf nodded. "They all are dancing like them, though." The girls and boys were dancing and rocking like crazy people!

Drew laughed. "Now, let's go further in and search for that group, shall we?"

May smiled. "Sure."

Gary suggested, "Some of us will go and dance on the dance floor, while some of us will go to the drinking table and order a drink or something, alright? We'll keep an eye around like that, is it okay?"

I nodded. "Good idea." I directed, "Gary and Leaf will go to the dance floor, May and Drew will enjoy drinks, and me and Ash will go look around for suspicious people, alright?"

"Okay," everyone replied simultaneously. We all went our separate ways to do the work assigned.

"Piplup, do you spot any strange guys?" I asked, while staring at the people around.

Piplup shook his head. "Pip-lup!" Just then, I noticed many girls staring at Ash and murmuring among themselves.

"Hey, Ash?" He turned to me with his eyebrow raised. "Look around, the girls are crazy about you here. Look, look." I said excitedly. I was sure that he wouldn't try to get close to such crazy girls, so it was good to tease him, now!

"Pika!" Pikachu laughed.

He crossed him arms. "I am not interested in such crazy girls." I laughed. "Besides, I already have you... then, why would I want others?"

"What." I stared at him shyly and blushed.

He chuckled. Then, patted my head as he walked past me. "Just kidding. Let's get back to work. We don't have time for these stupid matters." Thank goodness, he was joking! But at the same time, I felt disappointed. _Damn, what is wrong with me?!_

Just then, a guy bumped into me. "Ouch! How many times am I going to bump into people and hurt my head, today?!" I grumbled as I turned around to glance at the person who bumped into me.

"Hey, babe. My name's Lucas, nice to meet you." He smirked, as he tried to hold my hand. It was clear that he was a third-class flirt by the way he talked!

"Excuse me, who are you calling a 'babe'?!" I frowned in anger.

"Pip-lup!" My loyal Pokémon jumped higher, to prevent him from coming closer to me. "Pip-pip! Pip-lup, Pip-pip! Piplup!"

"Ooh, a hot girl, too, huh? I... like you." He stepped forward and was about to hold my hand, but I backed up and moved out of his way.

I frowned even harder, "Are you crazy or what?"

He smirked as he laughed. "Looks like you've never been to any club before, as it is very normal for newbies to get flustered like this. But, don't worry, sweetheart... you'll get used to it, I promise." He finished off that sentence with a wink.

I cringed. "You are very good at flirting, but-"

Ash came up from behind me and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. "But, she is already with me. So, please." As he said that, he took me away with him.

He laughed. "Obviously, a hottie like you would be taken!" I heard him shout.

"I had expected that something like this would've happened," Ash muttered. "That's the reason why you shouldn't wear such exposing outfits."

I mumbled, "I never knew, and, also, why are you telling me not to wear such exposing outfits? What are you? My boyfriend? My fiancé? My husband?" I shook my head. "No, right?"

He let go of my shoulders, but didn't reply. "Right." Was he angry now? Man, I don't understand him!

Just then, we saw a group of people seated on the couches in the lounge. It looked like a specific meeting spot or something. I tried to peek, but Ash pulled me along, shaking his head. We heard Drew's voice from our Bluetooth. "Guys, the gang sitting where Ash and Dawn are...is the gang of the smugglers."

Ash asked, "You sure?"

"101 percent," came the reply.

"But...we'll have to get some sort of confirmation. You guys stay where you are, for now. Me and Ash will get closer to them and try listening their talk, alright?" I suggested.

"Alright," everyone replied. We both slowly moved towards the gang and saw two people donned in extremely casual yet flashy clothes, sitting on the sofas on opposite sides. They had many bodyguards surrounding their table, so we had to be extra careful make sure that we weren't caught.

I asked Ash, "Now, how are we supposed to hear them?"

He questioned, back, "Do you think you can flirt with one of their members?"

My eyes widened and eyebrows turned into a frown. "Hell, no!" I slowly hit him on his shoulder. "I'm never doing that!"

"I wouldn't make you, anyway," he said, stifling his laughter. _He sure enjoys seeing me getting worked out!_ He thought about it for a while and then, said, "Let's just try listening from afar, without getting too close to them. Alright?"

I nodded. "Right!" We moved just a little closer to their place, while pretending that we were having a conversation. We could only hear their faint voices. Ash quickly turned on the recorder in his phone.

"Here's your order of white. Just exactly the same amount you has requested for," a man with blonde hair said, who was sitting on the couch.

I whispered to Ash, "White? What's that?"

"Idiot," he muttered. "It's the codename they are using for drugs."

I nodded, turning my attention back to their talk. "Are you sure that they aren't fake? You are not fooling us, are you?" The man who was buying drugs raised an eyebrow.

"No, they are ninety nine percent real," he said, shrugging. "If you want, you can try it on someone."

That man signalled his men to check them out as they nodded. They opened the box, revealing a number of white packets. I raised my phone and clicked quick shots. After some enquiry, they nodded. "Alright, they are real," he replied. "According to our deal, here's the amount, seventy thousand, as promised. Here." His men handed him a briefcase, which most probably had the money.

I smirked as I said through the bluetooth, "Guys, time for us to play our role."

"Yeah!" I heard some of them reply. Just then, the other four gathered around them, along with me and Ash.

Leaf asked, "What is going on here?"

Bewildered, they looked up and held panicking looks. "Who are you?! Catch them!" They all came at us, and we were ready to face them! We took all our chance to hit them and keep them from getting into our way. We all punched them, kicked them on their legs, guts, and many more places.

After some time, everyone was down, except their leaders, who were trying to escape. By now, there was no one in the club, except for us and the criminals. We surrounded the two from all the four - six - sides.

I took out the hidden guns from under my skirt - there was gun holder strapped around my upper thigh, which was hidden by the skirt. I had two guns, just in case, but I took out only one.

I could see Ash staring at me. He whispered, "You kept your gun there?!" I grinned at him.

I pointed my gun at the two. "Hands up. You are under arrest." Man, how much I love saying that line!

One of those two barked, "Who are you all?!" He was about to take out his gun, but Gary snatched it from behind, acting cleverly. Then, he took the gun of other person as well, which was hid in his back pocket. They hissed in response.

We all had our guns pointed at them, so they raised their hands in defeat. Leaf groaned, "Isn't it obvious?! We are police, for god's sake!"

The another guy hissed, "Damn you, all! We were having our biggest deal today!"

Gary chuckled, "Do you think that the police are just for toying with? Dude, you all should have the fear of the police!"

Drew nodded as he went to them and handcuffed them. "Here, is a sweet gift from us to you. Enjoy!" Just then, Officer Jenny entered along with her officers, and arrested the two top smugglers. She bowed to us, thanked us, and ran away.

May sighed. "Case solved."

We all sighed as we made our way back to the parking lot. When we were in the car, all set to move, I asked, "Guys, don't you think that the crime rate has increased a lot in Sinnoh, nowadays?" I turned on the ignition and drove away.

"You're right. I feel it, too." Leaf nodded.

After some time, I completely turned around to look at the people behind me, as the signal stop to see... that they were all asleep. May had her head on Drew's shoulder, with his head on top of his. Leaf and Gary were also sleeping in the same position. I smiled. "They look so cute! I am gonna click a picture!"

I quickly took out my mobile from my pocket and took an awesome picture. It will surely prove as a good memory!

"Uh... I think, you should sit back upright." I heard Ash stutter slowly.

I questioned, "Why?" I looked and saw Piplup and Pikachu also sleeping, in Ash's lap, very peacefully.

He looked the other way with half-lidded eyes, suddenly finding interest in something outside the window. "Your gun-holder strap below your skirt is visible." I noticed his cheeks tinged with crimson.

I didn't catch onto what he said at first but then, realised what he was actually trying to imply. _Crap!_ I blushed, as I sat back in my seat. "Damn...You didn't see that, did you?"

"Yes, I did," came his truthful and obvious reply. _He should've atleast tried denying!_

I blushed even deeper. _Now, how am I supposed to react to this?! I have never come across any situation like this!_ I kept my attention back on the road, glancing at him from the corner of my eyes to see that he was still not ready to look my way.

Then, after some awkward silence, Ash cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry. Lets pretend like I never saw that it was white." My eyes widened. _That means...he definitely saw it! Crap! I feel like_ _punching myself! Or banging my head against the wall! Damnit!_ "I mean...let's just forget it!" He quickly said, quite embarassed as he stared out of the window.

I nodded. "Al...alright!"

 _Either way, he and I both know that he saw something which he shouldn't have and he'll remember it, anyway!_

I stole a glance at Ash, who had a light blush visible on his cheeks.

 _Dang it! Being with Ash, has brought a lots of new experiences for me...everything's a first for me!_

I blushed, harder.

 _...It seems like my experience is increasing with high speed at a certain, different level! Just save me, Arceus!_

* * *

 ** _Done! How did you all like it? I hope you sure did!_**

 ** _The part at the bar may seem a little rushed and all but that's just how much I could do...I did modify it more, though to make it more comprehensible. Hope you're satisfied with that._**

 ** _And yeah, I think Ash and Dawn's degree of closeness has increased...a lot more than the first chapter! Glad that there was a lot of pearlshipping fluff in there?! Haah, good thing._**

 ** _See you soon, then! Hopefully, after my fever and cold has gotten down!_**


End file.
